Ragnarok : Tales Of Old Midgard
by Windoramus
Summary: RTOM is a series of tales based on the MMORPG game Ragnarok Online. It is centered around the history of Glast Heim and delves deeply into many aspects of Ragnarok, spinning an action packed, detailed story line in the process. The First Tale Of Odin's Tr
1. PROLOGUE

**PROLOGUE**

Clouds of dust rose in the horizon as the sound of thousands of hooves hammering the earth rang through the air. The clouds rose higher and higher as the hooves came closer and closer. The sounds grew louder and to the men who stood in the path of the storm, it brought home the reality of their situation…the cruel realization that they faced death! One man in their midst had known from the very beginning the results of their senseless expedition. Rumors had already begun to spread through the kingdom of the dreadful beasts that stalked the land. Those rumors had led to this expedition, the man knew very well. He had been one of the few people who had argued against organizing the expedition in the first place. But he had been put down.

"Oh how those fools will regret now!", he muttered to himself as he faced the coming storm.

The dust clouds rose higher and higher till they almost blocked the rays of the sun!

"Odin, keep our souls!", the man said as the hooves finally came into sight.

Along with those hooves came their owners, the long dead…and yet living…souls of noble beasts once known as horses. Now they were known simply by the fear they caused in all who lay eyes upon them. They were nightmares…nothing but Nightmares! The man took a deep breath and reached for his sword. The long sword had been forged by the finest smith in the capital city and had been imbued by a shard of the Flame Heart. Its blade shone with the blazing fires of the heart, pure and noble heart that belonged to its wielder. The man sighed and steadied himself. There was no time for regrets, no time to curse the fools who were the cause of this soon to be massacre! There was only time to fight. Yes! They would fight as they would have fought under any other circumstance. They were fools! Oh indeed, they were such jolly fools. Loyal to a land that would soon fall…loyal without any doubts…loyal without any fears…loyal until death and even after. They were fanatics, he realized! Fanatics who had sworn to lay down their lives in the field of war, to protect their kingdom and country, to protect the lives of their friends and family.

"Fanatics like me.", he told himself as the first of the Nightmares spotted him. The bizarre creature, the man knew, was what remained of once noble beasts known to the humans as horses. They were noble steeds, capable of carrying men to the farthest of lands. Like him they too were loyal to their masters, at least they had been loyal once upon a time. Once upon a time when they still had their souls. Now…they had nothing! They were dead remnants of a species long extinct. The heartless souls of mages and wizards had worked their magic and stole the hearts of the noble beasts. The man shuddered to think of the power and skill that was required to carry out such a task. No one had ever thought that the kingdom possessed such powerful wielders of the arcane arts. Oh, but such fools they had been! They had never thought that such evil could exist. Oh, no! Not in their kingdom of happiness…their bed of roses…no thorns could possibly rise there!

"Odin, save us! We have betrayed your trust.", the man said as the hooves came closer.

The time of reckoning was near for him and the man knew it. His days were numbered. Surely, there was no way this measly band of warriors, be they holy or not, were going to defeat the oncoming mob of Nightmares! Besides, the man knew the other terror that came with the beasts. His keen vision, augmented by the skills of his profession, showed him the spear wielding forms riding the Nightmares. Their screams of terror and anguish hammered at his very core and he found himself slipping into their clutches.

"No!", he cried out to his companions, "Do not listen to their wails and screams. Ignore them. Do not succumb to the Bakhy or you will be dead before this fight even begins! Listen to me!"

But they would not listen. The man knew well that they distrusted him for speaking against the expedition. He was the one who did not want to face his enemies…he was the dishonorable warrior who would not face his fears, the one who ran away from the enemy willing to leave his country, his motherland to the enemy's vile clutches. No! They would never listen to this man regardless of the oaths that he had taken beside them at the holy Church of Prontera. They would simply ignore him as they did every other time and the man watched as they ignored him now as well. What he feared came to pass and there was nothing he could do about it. He watched as his fellow warriors, the same warriors he had fought with side by side for many a year, succumbed to the specter's call…the dreaded Bakhy! They had opened their souls and their mind to the agony of the specters and in doing so, they had taken it upon themselves.

The man watched as the terrible pain of the undead shattered the will and the heart of those brave warriors. Their flesh began to rot and crumble and they screamed as they saw their bones in front of their very eyes.

"Eyes?", the man said to himself, "What eyes? They have nothing but black pits. Odin, forgive them. They have given their souls to the abyss!"

The bones of his comrades turned into ash and as he watched with ghastly terror, their skulls began to rise in the air, still intact, and moved towards the oncoming Nightmares. The man knew what would happen next. The Nightmares, the ones without any riders, would absorb the souls of his comrades. They too could not accomplish their purpose. They had died before they could lay down their lives defending their motherland and their kingdom. Thus, the abyss would condemn them to the same fate that many like them had suffered…the pain of the specter…the agony of the undead would be theirs now and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew what his oath had bound him to do…what he must do now…to avenge the deaths of his companions.

"But why? Why should I waste my life in this senseless battle?", he asked himself as the Nightmares now turned upon him.

They came towards him, galloping at full speed, hooves hammering the soil and raising mounds of dirt in their wake. There was no hope for him now. He too would be absorbed by their unholy terror. His will to resist the Bakhy weakened as they neared and he felt himself loosing strength.

"No! I will not give in…NO! NOOOO…", he screamed and screamed and screamed!

Then, there was silence. The man refused to open his eyes. He did not want to see the terrible hooves descend on his head. He did not want to see the smirking faces of the specters as they absorbed his soul and stabbed his body with their double edge spears. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing his fear…he would not succumb to the Bakhy, not until his last breath and the last drop of his blood had been drawn from his body. He would not…

The chirping of birds and the roaring of the waves startled him out of his dream. He had been sitting on the ground, meditating and gathering his energy, trying to distribute it evenly throughout his body to allow him to move around comfortably. Old age had sapped much of his strength and he had little left to give. Yet, fate would not allow him to rest easy. The dream had come again, as it had come many a time before.

"A dream?", he asked himself, "Was it really a dream?"

He had asked the same question over and over again, a thousand times and then again a thousand times! Every morning and every night, every day when the dream came to him, he would thing exactly the same thing,

"It is like yesterday. All so perfectly clear! Why? Why, Lord Odin? Why do you seek to torment me so? Am I not old and frail? What use is this mortal sheath to you? No longer fit for any duty, no longer fit to serve. Of what use am I to you, o Lord?"

As if by magic, or perhaps by divine grace, a butterfly rose into the sky, flaunting its broad wings and the dazzling rainbow colors, caused by the sunlight shining on its surface. It was a large butterfly, larger than most species, but the old man had seen it before. He had seen it in his youth and he had seen it many a time in this place. The people of the kingdom called it a Creamy. Such a cute little name, but so deadly a creature! Ironic it was, for that very creature had killed many a young adventurer, who had dared to set his sights on it. To the experienced warrior, it was about as dangerous as the everyday fly, but to all else, it would kill. Quick and deadly was the Creamy!

The man watched as the Creamy rose into the air, apparently oblivious to his presence. It rose higher and higher and then took off to the north, gradually adjusting its path to the west. The old man watched it fly towards the ruins of a massive tower that seemed to the touch the very sky. As he gazed at that tower, he knew what it was. He had known it well in his youth and had known it even better when he swore his oaths. Tears filled his eyes and he tore them away from the ruins, gazing instead at the town behind him. Even then he could not make the memories go away. Those thoughts haunted him so! With tears flowing down his cheek, he fought to control his voice as he muttered the same lines that he had said many a time,

"O Glast Heim, glorious Glast Heim! Jewel of the north, city of heroes! Pride of kings… the treasure of the soul! O Glast Heim, why didst thou fall? O great jewel that shines in the night, why does thou haunt me so?"


	2. Chapter I

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter I**

"Tales are strange things that are told from one generation to another. Even the worst of tales are passed from generation to generation faithfully and sometimes, even the best are forgotten. One knows not how tales are made, or how they are told, but one does know that a true tale has a past, which influences all of the present. From that present arises the true future, which we must seek. To understand the past, one must first understand those who influenced the workings of time and thus, molded the past into an image of themselves or into a shape of their own preference. To understand the past, one must understand the deeds of greatness, the power of those who stood against what we now know as evil. But truly, what is evil? Do we understand its essence? Do we understand the necessity, which drives people to do evil? Have we looked into the depth of evil and perceived the true nature of those who serve it? Who knows? When will we know? Only time will tell us this."

- The words of Sigmund. W. Pronterus, Historian, Prontera Capital Library

"Watch your stance, Riyu. One small mistake and your enemy will be able to pierce your guard.", said Hijo Ramurao.

The sword master was clad in a white silk robe with ancient writings embossed on the right sleeve. Further scrutiny revealed a long, thin sword hidden underneath the robe, sheathed in a scabbard and held around the waste by a belt. It was obvious that the sword had taken quite a lot of skill to forge. Any sword that thin and sleek required a great amount of expertise in the art of iron and steel tempering to forge. Even the slightest mistake resulted in the blade being split in two. What was worse, those thin blades were extremely difficult to use and the tactics and techniques used with the sword were very difficult to master, since they were altogether different from the traditional swordsman techniques. Most swordsmen used wider and longer blades to slice open their targets and for many of them, that style proved to be the best. It was a rare sight indeed to see one such as Hijo Ramurao, a swordsman who had mastered the katana blade. He was about six feet in height and had a lean build, but the more observant of people were quick to note the powerful muscles that were housed in that apparently thin body. Those muscles had not been developed for brute slashing. They had been developed for speed! Pure speed and technique, those were the traits of sword master Hijo. The Hijo Tet'suname Dojo had been built by the sword master himself, about fifty years ago, and it was here that he instructed the few students that he used to get in the art of wielding the katana blade. Of those few, only a handful would graduate beyond basic training and others would drop out to learn the more traditional styles of sword fighting. The selected few, or in other words the gifted few, were forced to go through ten weeks of intensive training in physical and mental discipline. Warriors of the Tet'suname technique were renowned as the best swordsmen in the kingdom of Rune Midgard, but they were scarce commodities. Most Tet'suname swordsmen preferred traveling in the wilderness and training further to improve their fighting style and perhaps, one day, invent their own sword techniques. Although this had been an incredibly difficult task, even for Hijo Ramurao, there had been a few successful students who had been recruited into the kingdom's royal bodyguard due to their prowess with the sword. Even though most teachers would have been delighted that their students had attained such prestigious royal posts, master Hijo had become quite angry and agitated when he learnt about it. He sincerely hoped that his latest student would not succumb to the temptation and join the royal bodyguards.

Riyu Kikame looked at his master warily and then turned his attention back to his sword. There had been times when Riyu had felt like giving up on the Tet'suname fighting style. The art itself was difficult enough, but master Hijo insisted on many exhausting exercises to improve his fighting capabilities. As far as Riyu was concerned, the whole ordeal had left him for worse than for better. He didn't feel like he was getting anywhere near sword mastery and that bothered him. Still, Riyu Kikame had learnt to have faith in his master. Even in times of doubt, the sword master had displayed excellent leadership skills and had solved Riyu's problems time and again. That had resulted in a bond of loyalty and trust and Riyu was not interested in breaking that bond anytime soon, even if his sword style had not developed to the master's satisfaction. Coming from a middle class family, Riyu had grown up watching many of master Hijo's students try and fail in mastering the Tet'suname fighting style. He had also watched those who succeeded and had tried continuously to emulate them since his childhood. He had succeeded in capturing master Hijo's attention and thus, gotten admission into the dojo where the master had initiated him in the art of katana blade mastery.

"Come, come, Riyu. We do not have all day. You remember the tournament today, do you not? Begin your exercise immediately. I want you to practice hard for the next couple of hours or your chances of winning the tournament are slim."

Riyu simply nodded and began practicing his sword swings. He was a handsome youth, with dark blue eyes and pale blue hair. Like sword master Hijo, he too had a lean body build, but none of the master's muscles had yet developed in the student. Training had, however, hardened him to the problems of simple living, while introducing him to its pleasures. Hard work had been a part of that rigorous training and Riyu had finally succeeded in keeping a job in one of the capital city's small smithies. The work enabled him to contribute to the upkeep of the dojo while saving much needed Zenny, the currency of Rune Midgard, for later use. It was common knowledge that the weapons and armor used by adventurers were hideously expensive in most of the kingdom's city shops. The delicate forging techniques and expertise required to make those weapons and armor had resulted in rising prices, while the haggling merchants had added their share of profits as well. The result had been that no adventurer could venture forth into the wild, with adequate protection, without some source of funding. The bright side of the situation was that the adventurers were forced to work for their money and thus were able to establish themselves and get work in any other part of the world. The downside was that most people were never able to gather enough to accomplish their dreams. The braver warriors would step out into the wild with the lowest quality protection that they could afford and some had actually gone on to acquire a lot of wealth and fame. Most, however, would fall to the monsters that crossed their path. Protection was important and Riyu remembered what his master had told him,

"Prevention, Riyu, is better than cure. To nurse the wounded back to health is a lot easier than bringing the dead back to life. Remember that when it is your time to go out into the world."

The dead came back, of course. That was one of the magical features of Rune Midgard. There really was no death for those who wished to return to the land of the living. Their deceased souls would simply be reincarnated near a gravesite or inside a church and they would once more venture against the unknown. Death, however, brought its own penalties. Riyu had watched the reincarnation of many dead warriors and he had seen them wake up as if from a deep sleep. They always looked weaker than before and required a lot of training to regain their original power. Perhaps the loss of their skill and strength was the price of life. As far as Riyu was concerned, death was not an option. He had trained and was still training himself in the art of the Tet'suname technique and he had promised himself to learn to conquer even death. That was his ultimate goal, the purpose of his life. He would gain the power to be better than anyone else, the power to be the greatest swordsman in all of Rune Midgard. The oracles of the Prontera Church had not been able to predict Riyu's destiny at birth, like they did for other citizens of Rune Midgard, and he had been dubbed as an adventurer then and there. The oracles of Rune Midgard were unable to see into the future of warriors. Although they could extract bits and pieces of that future, there were far too many choices in a warrior's life for it to be predicted clearly. Their web of life seemed to change at every turn and each choice changed the web greatly. Sometimes various strands would snap and the oracles would find themselves lost in the void of darkness and at other times, new strands would suddenly come up and blur the vision of the future. Thus, the oracles had barred themselves and others like them from seeing into the future of adventurers. Those who were strange and different were to be left untouched, to find their own destiny, for no oracle could survive the void of darkness. Horrible experiences had taught them to fear it and the altering web of life had further reinforced their decision to stay away.

So it was that one Riyu Kikame found himself making his own decisions, confronting every little thing that came in his path and sorting out every hurdle that was thrown at him. Oh, not for him the luxury of knowing what he would in the future! Not for him the preplanned life that the oracles gave the common citizens. For him, it was the life of a warrior, the unknown life. Time and again, his heart had longed for a peaceful life, a kind of life with no hardships, no training exercises and no death. But Riyu's mind had rejected this alternative. He had no intention of living like a common man. His skill with the sword was extraordinary and although he did not realize it himself, he knew that master Hijo had thrown out better trained warriors than him before. So there had to be some good reason that he was still around and Riyu intended to use all the available time at the dojo to perfect his technique. So it was that one sword trainee Riyu Kikame practiced the art of the katana blade and one sword master Hijo Ramurao supervised his training when a luxurious state carriage pulled up outside the Hijo Tet'suname Dojo.


	3. Chapter II

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter II**

"Greed drives a man to attain things beyond his need, in the name of fame, power and glory. The same greed drives a man to turn against his fellow men and thus, sow the seed of discontent among them and drive them to their ruin. Greed is a sin and as children of Odin, we must seek to drive out the plague of sins from our lives. Only thus can we be truly cleansed of the stench of evil and become one with Odin. The God of all things sees not the difference in rank and in status, but he sees only the brave, the courageous, the kind and the merciful. So hear me now and live your lives knowing fully well that He watches over you."

- The words of Alistar. M. Heimus, Professor, Glast Heim Central Church

Joshua Hirahim Heimus gingerly stepped out of his state sponsored carriage. It had taken him quite a bit of paperwork and personal time to get hold of the carriage and he knew his friendship with some of the higher officials of the Glast Heim Church had helped him out rather nicely. The carriage would have to be returned quickly, of course, for state carriages were for official matters only and low ranking officials like Joshua were rarely granted the luxury. Unfortunately, Joshua knew he had had no other choice. Master Hijo had to know about his discovery since he had been one of the original…

"No! I must not think of it!", Joshua told himself sternly as he took a few steps towards the Tet'suname Dojo entrance.

It had been many years since Joshua had visited the Dojo. A lot had changed in Glast Heim, but the Dojo had remained almost the same. It had been built in the forum of a large square and the entrance led directly into the training grounds. Hijo's house was attached to the training grounds, but the students were forced to live in a barracks separately. Joshua stared at the barracks as he remembered the time he had spent there. His right hand automatically searched the left side of his waist for the katana that had rested there a long time ago. He had trained under the sword master for many months and had finally left the Dojo to seek employment in the church. It had been his father's wish of course, for Joshua had never wanted to leave master Hijo. But circumstances had forced him to and Joshua had decided to obey his father. Now, he was an apprentice to a priest in the Glast Heim Eastern Church and a bibliophile. However, he had never climbed the ranks any further and rumors were that the Church did not trust his faith in their teachings and in God. Joshua had never understood those rumors, for he was a devout disciple of God, but some of the Church's teachings had indeed seemed strange to him. Traditionally, the churches of Rune Midgard answered to the Central Church of Prontera, where the Pope resided. Recently, however, Joshua had noticed a slow movement towards independence from the Central Church's authority.

Keeping his job had required him to keep his mouth shut, but he had done some investigations of his own. Many of the Glast Heim priests were discontent with the rule of the Pope, but Joshua had yet to discover the reasons behind that discontent. It had been apparent that the strings behind the whole thing were being pulled by some unseen power and Joshua had tried his best to pierce the veil of darkness. He had used the meditation techniques taught to him by master Hijo Ramurao and combined them with his knowledge of the ways of an acolyte. The combination of power had let him gain the ability of an oracle for a very small amount of time. Yet, his visions had made no sense to him. They were completely distorted and there was always a void in between that threatened to consume him. He could never hold the vision in his mind for longer than a minute, since the void seemed to come closer and closer with every passing second. The only thing that had been revealed to him was his latest discovery and he knew that Hijo Ramurao would be very interested in seeing it.

Joshua walked into the Dojo training grounds, carefully listening for the sound of slashing katanas. Hijo had few students these days and Joshua knew his former master would keep only the skilled ones out of the few that he got. But he had better things to do than inspect the students here. Speaking to the master was extremely important. He gazed up at the sun as it rose high in the sky to its mid day position. He had little time. The church officials would need the carriage for something or another. Joshua walked along towards the master's house. It was built in the traditional oriental style of the eastern cities. Master Hijo had always preferred that style of construction. It allowed the best possible ventilation and according to master Hijo, it was good for the Chi.

"I always wondered what that meant.", he muttered under his breath.

He finally found his former master, training with one of his young students. This was the youngest one he had ever seen at the Dojo and Joshua knew he had to be talented for the master to have kept him so far. Joshua turned his attention to master Hijo.

"I must concentrate on the matter at hand. Time is of the essence!", he told himself as he caught the sword master's attention.

Joshua bowed as a sign of respect and Hijo nodded in acknowledgement. There was no surprise or happiness in the sword master's eyes. Joshua could see curiosity in those eyes, but nothing else.

"He knows I would not have come here without a reason.", Joshua thought as the sword master proceeded towards him.

"It has been a long time, former pupil of mine.", Hijo said and Joshua nodded in agreement, "Tell me, what brings you to my Dojo?"

Joshua looked at his sword master, trying to read his emotions and his thoughts, as Hijo had taught him to do so a long time ago. It was one of the important features of the Tet'suname technique. Reading the opponent's mind gave the fighter the ability to anticipate his moves and his emotions could be used to gauge the fury of his attack. But Hijo Ramurao was the master of the Tet'suname technique and he concealed his emotions very well, except for his curiosity… Joshua sensed the curiosity very clearly.

"Well, at least he is interested in why I have come.", Joshua thought and he replied, "I bring tidings from the Eastern Church."

Hijo sensed the hidden meanings behind the formal greeting of the messengers of the Church. Something was not right.

"I accept and welcome you to my Dojo, Joshua. You are always welcome here. Tell me the message you bear from the good priests of our Church.", he replied.

Any spy of the Kingdom lurking nearby would only hear two loyal servants of the Church speaking to each other. No harm in that…as long as what they were talking about was not construed as heresy! Joshua smiled at the exchange between them and made the sign of the Holy Cross of the Church, closing his fist and touching his heart twice at the end, indicating to his former master that the matter was of utmost importance. Hijo saw the sign, glanced around, not moving his head an inch and then said,

"Perhaps we had better go inside the house. It is very hot here and I would like something to drink. Riyu, you stay here and practice. You have to give a good performance at the tournament today."

"Riyu?", Joshua thought, "So that is the student's name. I see. Good, privacy is something we need. Better not to trust the boy till we are sure of his loyalties."

Riyu simply nodded and went right back to his training. Hijo led Joshua into the main house. It was quite big with six rooms, each about a quarter of the training ground in size. The room was quite bare and the single table and cupboard were at best, modest. Joshua could see the simple tastes of his master everywhere in the house. They sat down on plain mats, one on each side of the table, facing each other. Hijo had a steaming teapot placed on the table and Joshua knew his master kept it boiled for visitors, who would occasionally drop in. It was something of a tradition, the tea ceremony, at the Tet'suname Dojo. But there were other things to attend to and tea could wait.

"There have been many strange things happening at the Eastern Church, master Hijo.", Joshua said, "From what I have seen, the Glast Heim Church is moving for independence from the authority of the Prontera Church!"

Hijo looked at his former pupil for a minute or two and then said, "I see. What else have you noticed?"

"He took that well enough. Strange.", Joshua thought as he replied, "Most of the priests seem to be taking to some sort of new religion. I have not been able to fathom the depths of this change, but from my findings, it is quite obvious that someone is preaching heresy to them."

"A man who minds his words is a man who lives long in this world, Joshua. You forget easily.", Hijo said, reminding his former student of the dangerous ears that would be lurking nearby.

Joshua had been extremely cautious the past couple of months, investigating the hidden mysteries of the silent revolution that had engulfed the Glast Heim Eastern Church. He had decided beforehand that he would be safe at his former home and had thrown caution to the winds. Hijo's stern reminder made him face reality. Safety from the Kingdom's spies could be found only in the dangerous wilderness outside the cities. Spies were everywhere and even in the Tet'suname Dojo, Joshua realized that his safety was not guaranteed. Hijo noticed the disturbed look on Joshua's face and sighed.

"A man must keep his guard even in his own home, lest the pests that wander the cracks and holes come to claim his life. The blade is not the only way that life leaves the body. There are other methods for releasing the soul."

"More philosophy.", Joshua thought, but it should confuse the spies well enough.

They would be around, they always were. He could not assume that the Church had not noticed his clandestine activities against the rogue priests. But he dared not act against them or send a message to the Kingdom's capital without proof or without finding out who was pulling the strings. There was too much darkness and he had to shed more light for his efforts to be of any use to anyone.

"Tell me about your findings. I am most interested in hearing your theories on the cryptic passages that grace the sacred pages of our Holy Bible.", Hijo said.

Joshua nodded. That too had hidden meanings. Would the spies be able to understand what they were talking about? He put them out of his mind. He had to tell the sword master about what he had found. Someone had to know. Someone had to help him out! He could not face the dangers alone!

"For months have I struggled over the pages of our holy book, striving to fathom the maze of hallways and trying to find the keys to the many doors that it leaves in its wake."

The sword master understood and nodded at the disguised words of his pupil. Joshua had learned the game very well. He had stalked the halls of the Eastern Church at nights, surveying the many rooms and the hallways that always seemed to be a maze to those who entered the Church. His secret adventurers had led him to sneak into the rooms of the residents there, priests most probably.

"It took many a day and I dared not speak out my theories to anyone, lest I begin a heated debate and draw attention to myself. But my efforts paid of eventually, or so I think, for my mind formed many theories and I found myself writing them down so that I could refer to them later and remove the thoughts which did not belong."

Hijo nodded. Joshua had done well to keep his efforts secret. He had either found a book or had written down his findings in a book to show Hijo. Regardless, the next few minutes had to be handled carefully. Any exchange between the two of them would be watched carefully, and Hijo knew it. Could Joshua disguise that as well?

"I thought of showing my findings to my superiors, but the recent tournaments and festivals in dedication to our Lord have kept them quite busy indeed. But I cannot stay silent till they find the time to attend to me. Therefore, I came to you. I know you are a student of philosophy and you have many friends who are adept at the art of reading between the lines.", Joshua said, slowly reaching into his robe, "Perhaps, I could entrust my work to you, hoping that you will be able to tell me whether I am right or wrong, or whether my work deserves consideration."

"Good.", Hijo thought, as Joshua slowly placed a book on the table, "He handles it well. Perhaps we will live through this after all."

The book was quite small, about the size of his hand and Hijo picked it up, scanning the pages quickly with his keen eyes. Occasionally, he stopped to stare at a page, as if he was pondering about some complex passage, wondering about the hidden meanings. That would fool the spies into believing Joshua's tale, he hoped. Biblical passages were complex and the cryptic ones were even worse. No one would think that Hijo Ramurao would be able to decipher them at lightning speed. The book, however, did not contain any passages from the Bible as the spies would think. What it contained was a bunch of drawings that Hijo recognized as maps. The writing on each map referred to entrances and exits of the Glast Heim sewer system. Of what interest could the city's sewers be to anyone? The next couple of pages had some strange words and phrases on them. It was probably part of the heresy that Joshua was talking about. There was nothing else of interest though and Hijo was not a holy man to ponder about the meanings of those words. Joshua, however, seemed quite excited.

"So, master Hijo, what do you think of my work?", he asked.

Hijo closed the book and rose from his seat. He paced the floor for some time and then turned to Joshua.

"The words you use are quite interesting. I have never seen the cryptic verses interpreted in this manner. However, we must grasp the underlying meaning of the verses to understand them properly."

Joshua nodded, "Of course we must. That is the way of the thinker and philosopher."

Yes, they had to get more proof of any plot or revolution before communicating with the Prontera Church. These times called for utmost caution and Joshua saw agreement in Hijo's eyes. The sword master apparently understood more than Joshua had from the book, but he was feigning ignorance…a simple act for the spies, who would be listening nearby. This was getting dangerous and Joshua did not have much time.

"I must be getting back to my duties at the Church, master Hijo. Perhaps you would like to come by later for the evening prayers?", Joshua asked, hoping his master would accept and come to help him find the proof they required.

"I will try to adjust my schedule accordingly, but I must accompany Riyu today to the tournament at the city square. He has learned the Tet'suname art very well indeed, and now he must prove his worth to go out into the world.", Hijo replied.

"Has he attained mastery of the sword? That is quite incredible!", Joshua said, amazed that a boy so young could have mastered Hijo Ramurao's technique.

Hijo shook his head, "He has not attained my level of power or skill, but those things differ from person to person. I have yet to teach him many higher level techniques. However, he is skilled enough to develop his own fighting style. Of that I am sure. He is an extraordinary boy!"

"Praise? He actually praised one of his students?", Joshua muttered under his breath and Hijo smiled, "Come Joshua, you must be on your way now or your superiors will wonder about your absence. You must be careful while traveling. I've never been comfortable in a carriage. Too little space, if you ask me."

Joshua nodded as he stepped out of the master's house. Even in that statement, there were hidden meanings. They truly played a dangerous game and Hijo knew that the space inside the carriage was too small for effective use of a sword, even if Joshua had remembered to bring one along. Besides, there were other ways to kill a person riding in a carriage and Joshua realized his master's warning. Indeed! This was a dangerous game…a very dangerous game that they played at the risk of their own lives.

Hijo Ramurao watched his former student enter the state carriage and waved as the driver spurred the Peco Pecos into a gallop. The bird like creatures were fat with curved beaks and could not fly. However, they possessed a good deal of body strength and were used all around the Kingdom for pulling carriages, as mounts for the Prontera Knights and other things. They would get Joshua to the Eastern Church in an hour or two. As the carriage picked up speed, sword master Hijo saw a shadow flicker past the corner of his eyes. The shadow moved fast and Hijo knew he could see it simply because of his lightning reflexes and keen eyesight, strengthened over the years by hard training in the Tet'suname style. He did not, however, attempt to pursue the shadows. They were apparently following Joshua and his former student could take care of himself. He had demonstrated considerable ability so far in gauging danger and keeping an arm's length away from it. Hijo knew Joshua would have to exercise all his skills to keep his followers at bay. The documents he had gathered pointed to the Glast Heim sewers, but Hijo Ramurao could not fathom their meaning. The texts were obviously in Prothmus, the official language of the capital city of Prontera. Slowly, but surely Hijo began to recall the words of the strange text.

No one ever knew when wizards would be accompanying spies. Their true sight spells were a danger to all those around them, especially their opponents. Any wizard could guess the next move of an opponent or even read the thoughts of a weak mind. The concept of weak minds differed from wizard to wizard and depending on how strong the wizard was, any mind could be read. Considering that their opponent was the Eastern Church of Glast Heim, it was a good bet that their spies would be accompanied by true sight wizards. In all probability, they had been using their magic to read Hijo's mind and it had been a wise thing for the sword master to suppress his thoughts and memories. He had used his own techniques to put away all thoughts about Joshua's discoveries in his sub conscience and had thus, blocked his mind to any outside force.

A good majority of the text had been referring to some sort of time and date. The descriptive parts were a mystery to the sword master, but Hijo Ramurao recognized the timings and the dates mentioned. They corresponded with the Kingdom's calendar, but were obviously ancient in origin. He dared not go into it further, for a wizard might have decided to make his way back and scan him again. The answer, however, was obviously in the depths of the Glast Heim sewers. The maps pointed to entrances through certain alleyways in the city, although Hijo himself had never seen them before. There were other entrances too, within the sewers, which led to deeper unexplored parts. The Glast Heim sewers had never been explored completely, for the Church of Glast Heim had made it taboo. The sewers were, in their opinion, close to the abyss where all evil is born. Therefore, it was not fitting for the citizens of Glast Heim to make their way there. Unfortunately, for the Church, their taboo was restricted, by their own words, to the city of Glast Heim. Other people, especially the adventurers from other cities, were more than happy to take their chances with whatever was down there. Three levels had been explored with hardly any loss of lives. There were hardly any monsters down there, as far as the adventurers could tell. Beyond that, however, there had been no more discoveries and Hijo wondered about the person who had created those maps. They indicated the presence of over seven levels in the sewers and Hijo's first impression was to think of the person as a lunatic.

But he quickly cast that notion aside. If the Eastern Church was so interested in the maps and whatever was there in the seventh or eighth or however deep the sewers went, then the person concerned might not be so much of a madman after all. It was worth a look. Indeed, it was! But he had to move quickly and he had to move now! There was little time to waste. Riyu would have to go to the tournament alone and Hijo wished him the best of luck for it. He would do well, Hijo Ramurao knew that much. He had trained the lad in the art of the katana blade and Riyu had proved to be a promising student. His basics were sound and he was fast, if not fast enough like the sword master himself. Still, the tournament fighters would be mediocre opponents who were still getting the hang of their blades. Riyu would handle himself well, Hijo had better thinks to attend to than worry about his pupil. He checked his sword once more and then marched out into the city. He could not afford to be stealthy, for someone stealthier would be watching him in the shadows. A wizard perhaps, accompanied by his assassin shadows! He could give them the slip later, but the wizard would be a different deal altogether.

"Ahh…", Hijo sighed, "…here we go on another adventure. Damn it all, I hate adventures!"


	4. Chapter III

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter III**

"There are those who make a difference in our world and there are those who choose to keep it the same, unchanging forever. But do we know change as we know other things in our lives? Change is, and always has been, one of the fundamental aspects of human existence. We have never lived without change, for to be the same would be to give in to monotony. That is unacceptable as has been proved time and again by history. Why do we fight among ourselves? Why do brothers, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters fight with steel, sometimes side by side, at other times at each other's throats? Do they fight to win? Or do they fight for change? A change in their lives? A break from the normal routines of life? A break that will not be given to them by the government that rules them for their own good? Perhaps that is why people fight. We do not know this for certain, but then can we be sure of anything? Can we be sure of anything, but the fact that human society demands change? It is a basic thing…a fundamental thing of our existence."

- The words of Sigmund. W. Pronterus, Historian, Prontera Capital Library

There had been a lot of changes since Hijo Ramurao had last visited the Glast Heim sewers. The sword master walked swiftly past the hut settlements in the northern part of the city. Indeed, things had changed! Hijo looked around at the new buildings that had sprung up around him. The huts had never been there before and neither had the weapon and armor shop. Some well to do entrepreneur had decided to turn the place into a business establishment of sorts and had built houses to support his working staff. The armory was quite large, compared to other smaller smithies and stores in the city, and Hijo could see the workers toiling away at the hearths and the anvils. The smell of hot iron permeated through the air and the sword master was forced to calm his senses and use tremendous control to sense his pursuers. Hijo had sensed them at the start itself…the minute he left the Tet'suname Dojo. The fact that they had masked themselves so perfectly reinforced his fears of a wizard leading them.

It had to be a wizard! The invisibility cloak of the assassins was easily visible to the sword master's eye, but some form of magic was strengthening their hiding skills. Hijo drew upon his experience and the teachings of his mentors and quickly slid in and out of houses, continuously making his way towards the sewer entrance. The Glast Heim Church had sealed the entrance, but Hijo knew that all seals could be broken.

"Oh yes! Have I not broken many such seals in the past?", Hijo asked himself as he increased his pace.

Confronting his pursuers in the midst of the huts was a sure recipe for disaster. A single spell of that wizard would tear the huts to pieces, scattering the sharp, deadly debris all over the nearby workers. The poor souls might have the hardened muscles, arising from the sweat and blood of their work, but they could never stand up to a warrior, let alone a wizard's arcane magic. The wizard, of course, would have his own problems to deal with. The Prontera Church had banned the use of magic within cities, except in arenas on special occasions, and the ban had been strictly enforced in all the major cities of Rune Midgard including Glast Heim. The Church had been persistent on the implementation of that rule and Hijo knew that the Arch Bishop of the Central Church of Glast Heim had bowed to the wishes of his superior, the Pope of Prontera. No magic user could wield the arcane arts within city limits and the wizard following him would be well aware of that. Hijo remembered the fate of the unfortunate fools, who had decided to ignore that decree during the initial days of its implementation. The Pope had sent his best champions to take care of the violators and it had been a brutally one-sided battle.

Hijo remembered the whole event like it had happened yesterday. Everything flashed through his mind at lightning quick speed. Those powerful pecos had charged into Glast Heim, with their riders wearing the Pope's blessed Cross.

"Yes, I would know, wouldn't I? Was I not there? Among those riders? Riding beside them tall and proud, carrying out my duty to which I was sworn!", Hijo muttered as memories flooded his mind.

Those pecos had not been the ones that had pulled the state carriage. Oh no! Hijo remembered them well. He had ridden them countless number of times and their powerful claws had crushed many an opponent and torn them to shreds. Their foreheads were covered with a strange scaly armor and their chests with a crest of the finest feathers the sword master had ever seen. They were grand indeed and in their honor, the Pope had blessed them as Grand Pecos, the holy and blessed mounts of the Crusaders of God! Hijo remembered them well. He remembered their emotions flooding through him as his mount became one with his mind. They had moved together. The grand peco's legs had been his legs and his arms were the peco's arms. There had been no difference between the two entities and they had moved with lightning speed. Beside him, his comrades rode as well, with the party leader wielding the great Cross staff of the Prontera Church. They had ridden down upon the band of wizards that had gathered at the city gates. The band of renegades had defied the Pope, insisting upon the authority, of the then capital city, of Glast Heim to be supreme! Hijo's mind reflected upon their terrifying spells, those blazing bolts of thunder and the poison clouds that had sprung up from the earth within a fraction of a second. He remembered feeling weak and drained of strength.

"It was my first campaign…", Hijo said out loud, "…yes! I remember. I was inexperienced and their spells affected me, unlike my comrades."

The others had been utterly unaffected by the arcane magic. Hijo had watched spell bound as his captain, and leader of the team, charged at the first wizard and swatted away a cloud of thunder, which he later learnt to be the dreaded spell known as Jupiter Thunder! The captain had swatted it away like a pesky fly and then, he had drawn his long sword. With one simple stroke, the first wizard had lost his head and his comrades soon followed their rebel leader to the abyss! That had been a terrible day for Hijo. The poison spell…the wizards called it Quagmire…had drained him almost completely and his comrades had spent well over a day trying to heal him.

"I almost died!", Hijo muttered as his emotions threatened to overcome his self control.

The terrible ordeal had lasted for many days, even after the healing, and the Pope had decreed Hijo Ramurao unfit for duty. He had been discharged with honor with his captain testifying that he had acted with utmost honor and bravery, although Hijo knew the real story had been very different. He had frozen on the battlefield. His faith had not been enough! His skills had not developed enough and he had failed his God…he had failed the Crusaders of God! Honorable discharge or not, he had packed up and left the capital city and had wandered into the wilderness, there hoping to welcome the jaws of death at the hands of some monster, which would get a meal at his expense.

"So many years have passed since then.", Hijo thought as he remembered his long journey, the exhausting trek into the forest.

"Dryads of the nether earth, I summon thee. Be turned to stone, thus I curse thee!", a voice hissed as two darts whistled through the air.

His thoughts interrupted, Hijo leapt into the air, dodging the cursed darts that flew head on to strike two armory workers. The unfortunate workers had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their body moisture was immediately drained as the effects of the stone spell spread through their blood stream. Hijo glanced at them as he completed his leap and landed right behind the wizard, who had uttered the spell. Even as the workers dropped to the ground and turned into dehydrated ash, Hijo's katana flashed and split the wizard's shoulder into two. Without his arm, the wizard would not be able to complete any incantations, but Hijo wasn't about to let him get away that easy. He slammed the hilt of his blade into the wizard's belly and the man doubled over and hit the ground.

"Where are the rest of your little friends? Why don't they come out and play?", Hijo asked as three shadows suddenly came into view, "There is no point in hiding, my friends, come out and fight. You have no other choice. I have your wizard. Without him, you are all useless!"

The three assassins slowly came into view, their hands concealed within the sleeves of their long robes. Hijo had a good idea about the dangers that were stashed away beneath those robes, ready to be used at the beck and call of their assassin masters. He had fought many of them in his day and had been fortunate to defeat and some…and even more fortunate to survive them all. They were fast, Hijo knew very well, and some were faster than him. But the difference lay in the technique and there, Hijo Ramurao was absolute master. In more ways than one, the assassins fought him on his terms in the past…and even now, they would dance to his tune. The assassins drew their poisoned blades. Those blades were unlike daggers and other weapons of common thieves. Hijo's eyes watched their every movement, knowing that a single mistake meant instant death. Those blades were coated…nay, drenched with poison, ready to stab any opponent and deliver the assassin's instant death! They were Katars, death weapons of every professional assassin!

Hijo sheathed his sword. He would not reveal his stance till the last moment. Every single advantage he could gain over the assassins added to his chances of survival. Their own pose and stance indicated a certain degree of professional training, but Hijo had seen far better than them. One of the sins decided that he could wait no longer and rushed forward, brandishing his katars for a death blow. He never lived to deliver it, for Hijo Ramurao had nimbly dodged to the left, slashing out with his right hand. The assassin's chest burst open and a fountain of blood poured forth onto the ground. His comrades stood shocked for only a moment, but that moment proved to be the difference between life and death. The sword master moved like the wind and he had all the training and experience in the world to help them. The hapless assassins, on the other hand, showed their lack of training by rushing forth to attack. One of them was so foolish as to attempt splashing acid on Hijo's face, thus dropping his guard and leaving himself completely open to attack. Needless to say, the sword master dodged the acid spray and took off the assassin's head, leaving only his sakkat spinning on the ground like a top! The third assassin managed to parry Hijo's sword thrust and the sword master cursed himself for executing it imperfectly.

"You cannot stop the Herald of Flames, sword master Hijo!", the assassin said in a whisper, his voice like a hissing snake.

Hijo Ramurao recoiled at those words as if he had been struck down by a thunderbolt! He struggled to maintain balance and succeeded only by thrusting his sword into the ground and using the hilt to regain his footing. The assassin, seeing his reaction, sheathed his katars and laughed.

"Your foolish band of primates thought they had destroyed us for good, did they not? We thought we were finished as well, after your assault on our keep. Fortunately, for us, we managed to regroup and rebuild our power base. I do not think that in your wildest dreams, Hijo Ramurao, you imagined ever seeing us again!"

The sword master tried to gather his wits, but the shock of the revelation was too great, "This is a lie! We destroyed your kind a long time ago. There was nothing left. We saw to it ourselves. Your dark gathering was annihilated along with your abomination of a horde!"

"We could hardly blame you for believing such a fairy tale, sword master Hijo. Your Order was exceptionally gifted with oratory talents and they made such a fine speech about your victories. If I remember correctly, your shameless priests even made up stories and legends of how we were destroyed. Your comrades sat together around camp fires, regaling in stories of slaughter! They boasted about how they slew our warriors, raped and slaughtered our women and children! YOU SWAM IN THE SEA OF LUXURY THAT YOU STOLE FROM US! YOU AND YOUR ORDER OF GOD ARE NOTHING BUT COWARDS. A MEASELY BUNCH OF DOGS, WHOSE FLESH SHALL BE OUR FOOD! WE SHALL HAVE OUR REVENGE AT LONG LAST!"

Hijo controlled his anger, "You are the swine that spreads the lies of the abyss! We destroyed the darkness that threatened to engulf the kingdom. Your dark rituals damned thousands of souls to the pits of hell and spawned countless minions from the fiery depths! You put hundreds of thousands of lives in danger. It was you and your damned warriors who committed those atrocities upon innocent people, slaughtering them to take their flesh back to the sacrificial altars of your damned temples. Your kind do not belong in this world. BEGONE TO THE DARKNESS FROM WHENCE YOU CAME, ABOMINATION!"

The assassin roared at the top of his voice and hammered into Hijo, his katars appearing from thin air within the fraction of a second.

"Damn them to hell!", Hijo Ramurao cursed, "They have altered this one's strength to demonic levels. I pray that I do not have to go back to the old ways to defeat him!"

The assassin's katars flashed and sliced through the air as he desperately tried to cut the sword master into extremely tiny pieces, but Hijo dodged his attacks, suffering a single cut slightly below his shoulder.

"Even this cut is deadly. His weapons are coated in snake poison! Damn him to hell!", Hijo cursed as he tried to slash at his opponent, in vain, "He is fast, very fast. They have altered his speed as well."

Hijo remembered the campaign that the Crusaders Order of God had initiated against the Herald of Flames. The Herald had been accused of, and sufficient proof had been secured pointing to tampering with the arcane magic of life. They had used the demonic spells of altering the web of life, granting them the ability to shape a person's features, skills and abilities according to their needs and wishes. Their 'abominations', as the Church deemed them to be, were sent throughout the land to conduct espionage activities, political assassinations, extortion rackets and many other dangerous activities. A number of underworld mobs and gangs had been established until the Church had decided to send its own warriors out into the battlefield. Hijo remembered the slaughter of a thousand lives as if he was seeing it in a mirror! He had participated in that slaughter and had killed many. It had been after his wanderings in the forest…after he had mastered the katana blade! Those had been terrible times and Hijo dodged the thrusts and blocked the slashes of one of those very abominations that had been responsible for the chaos and turmoil of old.


	5. Chapter IV

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter IV**

"Through the ages of man and beast have we, the Herald Of Flames, studied the Arcane Arts of Life. To the heathen of Rune Midgard, it is forbidden to practice these ancient arts, but to us, the Herald, it is but the very essence of life itself. We, both human and beast, have no place in this world without the Arcane Arts of Life. To master it is our goal and to exercise our power is our right. We will not be deprived of our rights and our heritage. Nature itself demands that we hold the reins of power, for it is we who were born of power and it is we who have the sole right to wield it. The heathen who inhabit the world of men are but fools, who do not understand their own world. They will be cleansed and we will carry out this holy duty that is bestowed upon us. We are the Herald of Flames and in our burning fires, all shall be cleansed to receive the blessings of Life."

- The words of Sidor Galenhan, Maxima Impellar, the Herald Of Flames

"The first and second phases of our plan have been accomplished, Rodhan Impellar. The Churches of Glast Heim now dance to our music! Several of their priests have already converted to our beliefs. As you ordered, we have begun modifications on their physiology.", the hooded figure said, kneeling beside his superior, Tanjar Mordavir, the Rodhan Impellar of the Herald Of Flames.

"You have performed your task well. However, it is unfortunate that certain elements have decided to interfere in our plan.", Tanjar said, looking at the hooded figure, kneeling two feet away from him.

The castle had always been the Rodhan Impellar's favourite residence. Although there had been a lot of wear and tear in the past hundred years or so, the castle still retained much of its magnificence. Tanjar had but to look out of the side window, in the hallway, to see the deep moat of the castle. Its still waters gave him great peace of mind and he spent many an hour simply staring at it every day. Beyond that, there were the evergreen forests that seemed to grow everywhere in this part of the world. This was one place that human civilization never seemed to touch. Despite the clumps of villages that sprung up in small clearings, about ten kilometers apart from each other, the forest still seemed to continue growing. All efforts at cutting down the trees had simply resulted in an increased growth rate. The forest resisted human expansion and Tanjar loved every second of it. He had taken great pleasure in cutting down many of the persistent woodcutters who kept coming back for more. Nature would thrive in this place and the Herald Of Flames would see to it. Their magic kept nature at its best and gave it every possible defense against human intrusion. None of it, Tanjar knew, had been done out of pure generosity and concern for nature's well being, despite what the Herald's criers told the people. The forests offered powerful protection against any siege that could be launched against the castle and Tanjar knew the reasons for such precautions.

No son or daughter of the Herald could forget that massacre of the past, when the Crusaders of God had rode down upon them on their massive Grand Pecos. There had been nothing the Herald could do to defend itself. The surprise attack had complete overwhelmed them and thousands of people had been slaughtered. Of course, that was how the stories told it. The Rodhan Impellar had seen and commanded the might of the Herald and he knew they could never be beaten or slaughtered as easily as the legends said they had been. But as far as he was concerned, those stories had been extremely useful for the Herald since they generated a lot of sympathy among the less…devout…of the Glast Heim Churches. Their propaganda had taken a few months to spread among the various Churches of the Jewel of the North, but it had spread and eventually, it had gathered quite a large following. That, of course, meant the Herald could face even greater danger should the capital city of Rune Midgard ever come to know of its activities. Hence, the spells had been cast to create the impregnable forests and they were constantly patrolled by the Flame Knights of the Herald. The castle itself had been modified to a great extent since the alleged 'massacre' of old and Tanjar now looked at the fortified gates and the drawbridge of the castle. The gate was guarded by four large towers, manned by ballistas and crossbow men. Steel had been used extensively in fortifying the gates and refining the weapons used by the guards. The steel itself had been difficult to acquire and Tanjar remembered the expeditions into the mountains of Mount Mjolnir. They had lost twenty good men in the long abandoned mines of the mountain, but had managed to gather a large booty of steel and iron. The Herald's forgers had taken care of the rest. It had been risky to carry out all those operations without being detected by minions of the capital city, but the Herald had managed to pull it off without any problems.

The result of their efforts had been a virtually impregnable castle with fortifications that would match the capital city itself. In a way Tanjar knew they were better since the Arcane Arts had been used for even better fortifications. The ramparts of the castle walls were patrolled by the Dryads and undead Druids, spawned with the power of the Arcane Arts of Life. It had been difficult and had required the sacrifice of a virgin. Even Tanjar, who had participated in many such rituals, had shivered slightly as the undead spirits took over the girl's body and transformed her agony into a devastating curse. The Rodhan Impellar remembered the chanting of the priests and the prayers of the acolytes as the shrieks of the dying girl enveloped the room. Those shrieks had died slowly and the remnants of the sacrifice had then risen to everyone's amazement. It had been the first time that had happened. Usually, the bodies tended to stay dead while the demons spawned at the beck and call of the priests. This time, the body had risen and Tanjar had recognized the undead spirit within. The agony and the pain it had suffered while living still tormented it and the Sohee had been created as a result of that torment! Tanjar had laughed, thinking of how the priests of Prontera would react to this. They would have called it abomination, cursed it for the damned that it was and conducted their own rites to banish it to the nether world. But the Herald? What would it do? Tanjar grinned as he remembered the elation in the voices of the priests. Their chants grew louder and the acolytes could be heard all over the castle as they laughed like demons possessed. Their bodies began to burst and blood poured all over the floor. Tanjar himself had tasted it! He remembered…the blood of the damned, how sweet it had been! The end result had been the creation of the guards on the ramparts, the Dryads and Druids from the bodies of the acolytes.

Some priests had moaned the waste of the acolytes' flesh. It could have been used, they had said, for creating some intelligent demon instead of brain dead guards. But the ritual had been completed and they were forced to keep their peace. The Herald had no time for the complaints of maggots. Rituals and experiments formed the basis for evolution and progress with the Arcane Arts of Life. The Rodhan Impellar knew the necessity of all the experiments, even the one they were currently undertaking. Its risks were profound and threatened the very existence and future of the herald, but so far it had yielded wonderful results.

"Like this one.", Tanjar thought looking at the stalker kneeling beside him.

A great deal of resources had been spent on the creation of these stalkers. Tanjar had, for once, agreed with the priests who still complained about wastage of resources. Not only were the skilled thieves, required for the transformation, difficult to capture, but the number of blood sacrifices required for the process to be completed was also hideously large. The Rodhan Impellar had feared at one point that they would exhaust their supply of sacrifices. But someone had come up with the bright idea of using some villagers for the same purpose and it had been greeted with enthusiasm of wolves stalking their prey. The process had been completed without any hitches, but doing it again would require more resources.

"Which is why we are conducting this particular operation, aren't we?", Tanjar thought, still looking at the stalker beside him.

They were obedient and submissive, these stalkers, and the Herald had no trouble in controlling them. They were deadly too, their strength and speed altered to intensive the power of their skills. Their intelligence had been reduced to produce a more subjugated nature, but not so much that they were mere zombies. That would have been a true waste of resources…intolerable! Tanjar went through the entire plan again. His own physiology had been altered to serve higher purposes. His intelligence, strength and constitution were far superior to many serving the Herald. The entire plan, of course, was extremely risky. But so far it had worked very well. Gaining control of a majority part of the Glast Heim churches had allowed for free access to the city. The Herald had been surprised at the extent of political connections that some of the priests had, but it all served the purpose well enough.

"Yes. We must remember the 'purpose'. It is supreme and must be achieved!", Tanjar thought.

Once uninterrupted and unquestionable access to the city had been gained, the Herald's agents had set about scouting the entrances, the strength of the city's army and most importantly the sewers.

"Ah, the sewers of Glast Heim! What treasures do you hold? What has the Order of Crusaders of God sealed in your depths?", Tanjar thought, running over the plan's basics once more.

Finding the artifact of legends was of supreme importance, but the Rodhan Impellar also aimed to control most of the city by the time the operation was complete. However, the recent intrusions had been very annoying.

"Are you certain the acolyte has not disturbed our activities?", Tanjar asked.

"No, Rodhan Impellar, he has simply been eavesdropping and spying on us. We decided to hold back and ask your permission before wiping his existence off the face of this damned planet.", the stalker said, obviously savoring the moment when he would slay the acolyte.

"And what of this other element? This crusader who fights with the assassin as we speak."

"We have learnt much about him, Sire. He is Hijo Ramurao, a former member of the Crusaders of God!"

"Hijo Ramurao…", Tanjar muttered, "…yes! I remember him. He has been mentioned many times in the stories as well. He was part of the assault on our people. Yes! I remember him well. Was he not the one who found the artifact that we seek?"

"Yes, Rodhan Impellar, the then Crusader Hijo is said to have been given the Sword of God by Odin Himself, although the legends never say what he did with the sword later."

"Bah!", Tanjar roared, "Sword of God, my foot! Odin gave him the Jewel of the Damned! The same Jewel that we seek! The sword belongs in our treasury where we may use it to fulfill our purpose!"

"We believe this Hijo Ramurao now seeks the sword, Sire."

"No, he does not.", Tanjar said, running through the various bits of information stashed away in his mind.

"Sire?", the stalked said, not understanding his commander.

"He does not seek the sword. Hijo had turned the sword over to the Crusaders of God when he left their Order. He does not know what has become of it and if I am correct, he has forgotten completely about it."

"Then why…"

"BE QUIET FOOL!", Tanjar roared and the Stalker tried to hide in a dark corner of the hallway, "Your duty is to serve and do as you are told! Thinking in you is encouraged only to a certain extent, slave, do not forget that! Serve! That is your purpose!"

The stalker bowed his head and waited as the Rodhan Impellar composed his thoughts. Tanjar hated shouting at his subordinates. They were usually smart enough to understand him and know when to shut their mouths. This one was obviously inexperienced or lacked the necessary education. No matter, the Herald had ways to deal with incompetents.

"The acolyte Joshua has obviously given Hijo information regarding the sewers, but he does not know what he will find there. Obviously, his connections with the Crusaders of God have long since been dead. He ventures now into the unknown and that can be used in our favor. You will not attack him. Let him fight with the assassin. He will win. That one had some defects even after modifications. Hijo will find a way to kill him. You will simply follow him to the depths of the sewers and allow HIM to reveal the location of the sword. Do you understand? Under no circumstances are you to engage him and waste his time any further. FOLLOW HIM and keep your distance!"

The stalker bowed once more and scrambled out of the room. He wanted to get as far away from the Rodhan Impellar as possible! Tanjar gazed at the castle moat once more, allowing the crystal clear waters to calm his mind. If Hijo was alone so far, that meant the Crusaders of God did not know about their plans. At least that much was good news. But one Crusader, former member or not, was enough to cause an indefinite chain of problems. Delays could not be tolerated. Hijo Ramurao would have to be eliminated. But it would have to be done carefully! The Crusaders of God would undoubtedly ask questions about Hijo's death. Oh yes! It had to be done very carefully.

"There are ways and there are ways! You just have to look hard enough.", Tanjar thought, bursting into laughter that echoed throughout the palace.


	6. Chapter V

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter V**

"The time of ancient legends and myths have long passed through this age. Man now rules the world that we created. In his image, he moulds civilization and bends the will of other men to do his bidding. Our teachings are set aside for the words woven by rabble who have as much wisdom in their heads as do the wild animals of the forests. Yet, despite these changes, our legends still live on in the world of men. We, the Gods of Asgard, are forced to reckon with the fact that we do not rule this world anymore. However, our trust in men still lives on and we fear for their safety. Betrayal of the trust is tantamount to the end of all creation. This we must prevent, but what can we, who have no power in this world, do to help our own creations?"

- The words of Lord Odin as noted in the Journals Of Ghenravin, The Wanderer

The assassin continued to slash through the air as he tried to pierce sword master Hijo Ramurao's defenses. The enhanced faculties of the assassin, sent by the Herald Of Flames, was taxing Hijo Ramurao to a great extent. The sword master was using as much of his strength as he could afford to spare and the effect was quite obvious. Sweat poured down the sword master's face and drenched his clothes as he dodged and parried every single blow. His speed and the Tet'suname technique were more than a match for the assassin's attacks, but Hijo was finding it extremely difficult to land his own blows. Dodging was taking a lot of his time and energy and the assassin would eventually succeed in wearing him down. Two more slashes came his way and Hijo successfully parried one while the second cut off a bit of his sleeve. Luckily, it missed his flesh and Hijo sighed as another attacked came home, only to be deflected by his katana blade.

"This is going nowhere.", he thought as the assassin continued his onslaught.

The Herald minion seemed to have an almost unlimited amount of energy and he relentlessly kept up his attacks. They had been fighting for almost an hour and the assassin was still as fresh as he had been in the beginning.

"They have altered his physiology significantly! Such drastic changes will result in unforeseeable dangers to the kingdom. The Herald must be stopped!", Hijo muttered under his breath as he barely managed to avoid a crushing blow.

The Herald was looking for something and Hijo wondered what it was. Obviously it was valuable enough to warrant sending their people to corrupt the Glast Heim Churches and convert the priests to their side. That move itself would have presented a great deal of danger and difficulty to the Herald. If any of the Crusaders of God or the Prontera Church officials had managed to spot their men, then the Crusaders would have been dispatched again. The Pope did not tolerate followers of the Herald and that policy had been followed for generations. Those who meddled with the Arts of Life had no place in the world of men for, to practice those Arts brought about the destruction of the one who practiced it as well as those around him! Such terror could not be permitted to exist and the Herald would have known the dangers they faced from the very beginning of their plan. Yet, they had sent out their minions to sabotage the rule of the Pope and gain entry into the city of Glast Heim.

"Yes! I am sure of it. Something in the sewers has attracted their attention and made them come all this way and create such a ruckus. I must investigate. But first, this fool of an assassin must be dealt with!", Hijo grit his teeth and stepped up his attack.

The assassin saw his opportunity and tried to plunge his katar into Hijo's heart, but the sword master dodged the attack and slashed away at his opponent. The well timed blow sliced deeply into the assassin's back, but the silent killer simply staggered and turned to face Hijo again! Blood poured out freely from his wound, but the assassin stood as firm as a rock, brandishing his katars and preparing for the next onslaught.

"You have amazing endurance. I commend your fighting power and skill. This has been a good fight indeed!", Hijo said, lowering his katana and adopting a loose stance with feet spread wide.

It was not a traditional sword fighting stance and the assassin was puzzled for a moment. Hijo, however, had learnt to read the emotions and movements of his opponents a long time ago and he used his skills to the best of his abilities. The assassin was hesitating. The Herald had provided him with ample information on the Tet'suname technique and Hijo's sword tricks. Indeed, they had been thorough in that regard and the assassin new every one of Hijo's moves. Yet, he had been caught off guard by that sword slash and now…this new stance! The assassin had never seen it before. From that wide spread stance, Hijo Ramurao could never defend an incoming blow…that much was obvious…it had to be, even to the sword master himself!

"Why are you not attacking, Hijo?", the assassin asked, attempting to get some hint of the sword master's moves.

Hijo remained silent, regarding his opponent very carefully. The Herald minion might be confused now, but his training would overcome that confusion. Indeed, the attack would come any moment and Hijo was preparing for it. The counter blow would require precision. Oh yes, a great deal of precision indeed! The stance he had adopted was not a Tet'suname stance. Oh no! This was a different stance altogether…a very different technique too! He had to hit the nail on the head in one blow for, he would not get another chance.

The assassin stared at Hijo, completely puzzled. The sword master was doing nothing. Absolutely nothing! There was no single muscle movement and his stance was completely different.

"What are you doing, Hijo? Are you scared of attacking me? Come, I shall give you a quick death.", the assassin taunted Hijo Ramurao and yet, the sword master remained still.

Hijo recalled the words of a wise man who had once said, "The still water of an ocean can be a perfect example of peace and tranquility. A single stone shall disturb that peace, but for only a moment. The water shall become calm once more. Yet, as time passes, the water becomes angry and when it rages, not a soul in its path shall survive to tell the tale! Such is the glory of water. It shows us the two sides of nature. Man must learn from this example and know that he must be calm in the face of the adversity and let loose his rage at the most opportune moment. Thus he shall overwhelm his enemy just as the tidal wave overwhelms anything that stands in its way."

"So too shall I be calm! I shall wait for my opponent to come. I shall wait for his wrath to descend upon my tranquility. He shall but cause a slight ripple in the ocean and then I shall rise up like the tidal wave and sweep him away from my path. I shall wait…his time shall come…all in due course…", Hijo told himself repeatedly as he waited and waited…and waited…

"NOW YOU SHALL DIE!", the assassin roared as he sped towards the waiting sword master.

His katars flashed as the sun shone upon the blades and he thrust them at the sword master's chest. The katana was still lowered as the katars closed and assassin found himself hesitating.

"Why? Why is he just standing there? Why doesn't he fight?", he wondered and that proved to be his last mistake.

The katars came within an inch of Hijo's chest and at that moment, the sword master moved. A slight movement to the left sent the katars plunging through air and the assassin was caught completely off guard. He had allowed his mind to wander and his concentration had faltered. Hijo Ramurao thrust his hand at the assassin's chest and the Herald minion recoiled ferociously as the palm of the sword master hammered at his heart.

"HOLY CROSS!"

That single cry summoned a blast of holy light from Hijo's palm, which incidentally was still clinging to the assassin's chest! The Herald minion found himself engulfed in a blaze of holy light and he cringed in horror as it blasted through his chest. His cries of agony echoed through the air. The holy cross burned through his heart and burst forth from his back, right through the wound that the katana had slashed open! The assassin arched his back and fell to his knees as Hijo removed his hand from his chest. The sword master watched as the Herald minion uttered dreadful cries of agony, gaping at the hole that had once contained his heart! Bits and pieces of his ribs and vertebrae were scattered behind him and the assassin remained alive simply due to the shock and the alterations made by the Herald Of Flames. Hijo Ramurao's eyes swelled with tears and he raised his katana high into the air.

"You have fought well. Now, die in honor. May God keep your soul!", the former crusader said as he brought his katana down in a flashing arc that swept off the assassin's head.

Hijo gazed at the lifeless corpse on the ground before him and he could not stop the flow of tears, "How the Herald has interfered with life itself! He was but a mere pawn in their hands and they made him suffer so much. Even in his death, their Arcane Arts of Life kept him alive, prolonging his agony and suffering. Their gifts of strength and power came at too costly a price! They damned his soul to the abyss. God forgive him!"

The sword master sheathed his sword and turned his attention to the sewer entrance ahead. This whole plot was centered around something that lay hidden in the sewers. The Herald Of Flames wanted it and they would go to any extent to have it! They had made that much clear with their abominations. There was no time to loose. There would be more such assassins, and probably wizards as well, trailing him. Hijo glanced at the assassin's headless body once more and made his way towards the sewer entrance. He drew in a deep breath of fresh air and sighed.

"Damn bloody adventures! Just once, I would like to know a few years of peace and happiness. No dark priests, no herald assassins, no crusaders and certainly no plots to take over churches and cities! Damn bloody adventures, I hate them all!"

Hijo sighed once more and opened the entrance to the Glast Heim Sewers. It was nothing grand…the entrance that is. A simple, circular metal grating covered it and had been further reinforced by wooden planks, hammered in place rather poorly. Hijo had no problems uprooting those planks and casting them aside. The stink of sludge and slime pervaded the air and Hijo was tempted to turn back more than once. But he simply touched the hilt of his sword, sighed and said,

"Once more unto the breach, my dear friends. Once more, unto the breach…."


	7. Chapter VI

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter VI**

"Every person is influenced by his or her own destiny. Destiny is a common thread that binds us all. There are those who choose to follow their destiny and there are those who choose to make their own destiny. Thus each human being has a choice…the right to choose the path in his life and the right to walk the path in a manner he sees fit."

- The words of Ghenravin as noted in the Journals Of Ghenravin, The Wanderer

Riyu looked up at the sky, noting the direction from which a flock of birds were approaching. They were flying quickly…those birds…and they gave Riyu Kikame a very uneasy feeling. Hijo Ramurao had been gone for a long time. The master rarely stayed away from the dojo for long without sending some word, either through a friend or through a messenger. This time, no word had arrived and Riyu was worried. He had not been able to hear the conversation between his master and Joshua Heimus, but the strange manner in which the two had acted had indicated a certain amount of danger to Riyu. The fact that he had seen shadows moving across the walls of the dojo had not helped either. The master had departed before Riyu could tell him about the shadows, but he suspected that Hijo Ramurao had known about them from the start itself. The master's senses were very acute and could sense movements and predict them to a great degree in combat. He had taught Riyu to control his senses as well and although young Kikame had a long way to go, he was fairly sure that the shadows he had seen were men following Joshua. Since the master had departed quickly, behind Joshua, Riyu feared for his safety as well.

He turned his attention back to the flock of birds as they flew directly overhead. They were flying unusually fast today. Riyu touched the hilt of his sword and pondered about his next course of action. He still had a tournament to participate in, but the master's safety obviously came first. Riyu had never been into the city much since training had taken up a lot of his time. At best, he knew the way to the smithy where he worked and the way back to the dojo. Other than that, his knowledge of the city was quite poor.

"Well", he thought, "there is little I can do, except try and find the master as soon as possible. The master always said that I should trust my heart when my mind is unable to find a solution to my problem."

Riyu checked his sword and sheath and fastened them securely to the left side of his belt. He tested the grip several times to make sure that he could draw the blade as fast as possible. Hijo had warned him time and time again about faulty sheaths that would make the sword extremely difficult to draw or hold the sword so loosely that the drawing speed would be too great to control!

"Remember Riyu, the Tet'suname technique emphasizes on the speed and skill of the warrior. But you must also remember that you must not move so fast as to loose control of yourself. If you loose control of your soul and your strength, you will give in to demonic tendencies! The power of Tet'suname is so great, Riyu, that absolute control is essential to tame it. If it is let loose in the wild, the techniques of this dojo will destroy all that stands in its path!", Hijo had told him repeatedly.

Riyu stepped towards the entrance to the dojo, drawing deep breaths with each step. He concentrated to establish peace within himself. It was an essential part of facing the storm. Two storms clashing would simply destroy each other and everything else around them. But a storm would not last against a wall stronger than it. The Tet'suname technique required a great deal of accuracy and that accuracy was often obtained by studying one's enemy. No monster or opponent was so simple as to reveal its weaknesses immediately. Careful study of the target was essential, but taking one's own time would result in one's death. Therefore, one had to study quickly. The analysis of the enemy had to be completed within the fraction of a second and that analysis had to be interpreted and a target spot found even quicker! For that purpose, the soul had to be at peace.

The birds had flown in from the north and Riyu stared in that direction, gazing at the tall buildings that covered the horizon, overshadowing the strings of huts and cottages beside them. Some of the smithies were in that direction…that much Riyu knew. He would at least be able to travel in familiar territory for sometime. So it was that Riyu Kikame began his little journey to the north of Glast Heim to find his master Hijo Ramurao, who at the moment, unknown to him, was caught in the middle of many factions, fighting to achieve their own agendas and their own goals!

Hijo remembered bits and pieces of his previous visits to the sewers. It had been a long time before. A very long time indeed! In fact, he had last visited the sewers of Glast Heim as a Crusader, with a small party of comrades to guard his back.

"Never will be venture forth alone, for we are the hands that protect the Light of Heaven! Together we stand. Together we prevail! May the grace of God be with us. Amen!", Hijo muttered as he recalled the teachings of his Order.

But he was alone now, venturing into the darkness of the Glast Heim sewers. There was no one to guard his back this time round. No comrade to hold a shield against sudden attacks. No boon companion to lean on in times of peril. Here he was…sword master Hijo Ramurao, once a Crusader of God and now, a lonely sword master exploring the deep recesses of a long sealed off sewer.

"At least the map Joshua found was not a fake. Here is that seal it mentioned.", Hijo thought out loud as he came to a dead end.

The end was actually an entrance to another level of the sewers, but it had been sealed off a long time ago by holy priests. Hijo ran his hand over the ancient circular artifact that had been placed in the middle of the wall. It was shaped like a coin with ancient writing carved in the middle. Unfortunately, the passing years and the pathetic conditions of the sewers had taken their toll on the seal and Hijo could clearly see indications of scratch marks on it. Undoubtedly, a few sewer monsters had tried to rip it apart. They had failed, at least for now. Hijo examined the seal closely, making sure that his makeshift torch had enough fuel to burn. The oil rags he had wrapped around an old stick had been burning brightly, but the sword master knew that adventurers could always count on something bad happening at the worst of times. He quickly glanced around him, pausing to stare at the knee deep water in which he stood. It had been polluted by the wastes of the city, which were constantly dumped into the sewers. The dark, muddy color of the water was enough evidence of the fact and Hijo knew these places were usually crawling with monsters. Fortunately, they weren't crawling around anywhere near him and all that he did not need to do now was to loose his torch in a fight! Most of the sewer creatures were sensitive to light and kept away from light sources. Some monsters, however, were attracted to the light and those were the ones Hijo had to fight off. The others could bloody well keep their distance and be happy as far as Hijo Ramurao was concerned.

The seal turned out, much to the sword master's surprise, to be a Crusader seal! Hijo examined it once more, making sure there were no traps tied to it. Although most Crusader traps tended to be holy in nature, they could still harm any adventurer who was foolish enough to tamper with them. Most Crusader seals were designed to hold off the undead and hence, they packed a great deal of holy energy. As far as Hijo could remember, it used to take days for a Crusader to make a seal and that too, at the cost of a lot of the holy warrior's energy and strength. Seals were dangerous to make and they were extremely deadly to tamper with. Hijo tried to remember as many ways as he could to open a Crusader seal and was about to touch it, when suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps approaching!

The sword master's stunning reflexes sent him hurtling into a dark corner of the Glast Heim sewers. Lighting as such had never been given a great priority during the construction of the sewers. The whole sewer system had been designed simply for getting rid of the city's wastes and no one had ever imagined that it would become a place for adventurers to wet their appetite for killing evil demons and generally harmful beasts! Thus, any man, or woman, who dared to venture into the recesses of the Glast Heim sewers usually remembered to carry a few torches along, beside the usual bag of food, first aid materials and lots of potions to treat injuries. Getting lost in the sewers for days at a time was quite common and without the necessary supplies, the chances of survival were very bleak. Hijo turned his attention back to the path, which he had used to get to the seal. Like the rest of the sewers, this path too was designed to allow easy passage of slime and waste material. The floor was shaped almost like a half cylinder and the walls were pretty huge. The ceiling comprised mostly of sets of pipes that had long become redundant. Once used to supply water to the city from underground reserves, the pipes had become outdated after the automatic pumping systems were installed. The pumps allowed water to be sucked up directly from beneath the ground and negated the need for long networks of pipes. Thus, many of the pipes were dangling freely in the air and others were cracked in various places. In some cases, clear water was dripping, from the pipes, into the knee deep slime and in other places, the slime had managed to invade the pipe network as well.

The only source of illumination along the entire path was a lone torch that had been hammered into the side of a wall. Hijo had lit it on the way in and now, it helped him see the shadows of the figures approaching from the distance! The sword master held his breath as he waited for the strangers to close the distance. There was little he could do in here except either stay out of their way or fight them to the death. Considering his battle with the enhanced minion that the Herald of Flames had sent against him, Hijo preferred to stay well out of the way of the two approaching strangers.

"Perhaps they know how to open the seal.", Hijo thought as the shadows grew closer and closer.

The two figures seemed to spare no attention whatsoever to the burning torch. Either the low illumination had reduced their visibility to a great extent or they already knew someone was there and didn't really give a damn!

"That ought to tell me a bit about their strength and confidence, shouldn't it?", Hijo told himself as the strangers came nearer.

The trailing figure was at least five feet tall while the leading stranger was clearly a foot taller. Both of them wore slightly tattered cloaks, but the sword master noticed the shiny gleam of armor, hidden underneath, in the glow of the torch light.

"I really doubt these guys are mere adventurers out for a joy ride. Oh boy! This is going to get real interesting!", Hijo thought, hand near his katana blade.

The sword master sized up his opponents in a flash, measuring the distance between them and choosing, from a plethora of techniques, the most suitable move to finish them both swiftly. He had to move quickly for the sewers did not provide enough space for prolonged combat. Besides, if these two were from the Herald of Flames, then more minions would probably be on their way. Hijo thought he could handle these two, biologically enhanced or not, but a whole bunch of them was quite another matter. Yes, it had to be quick and deadly. He needed to buy time for himself and Hijo's hand tightened around the hilt of his blade as he prepared to lunge towards his opponents. The sewer water would hamper his speed a bit, but that wouldn't matter if he had surprise on his side.

The next moment, however, his hands and feet froze and Hijo Ramurao found himself in a state of shock and amazement as the shorter stranger called out to him, "Master Hijo, please come out and show yourself. I believe we are all after the same thing here!"


	8. Chapter VII

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter VII**

"Tales of Glast Heim have long since been passed from one person to another, but we must understand the true history of Glast Heim to understand the recent events and the reasons for their occurrence. It was a long time ago that Odin, Chief deity of the Gods of Rune Midgard, entrusted a great artifact, the one we know as the Jewel of the Damned, to mortals of our world. The Jewel was given for safe keeping to a great Crusader, who had distinguished himself in battle and in sword play many an year ago. The Crusader sealed off the Jewel, with the help of his comrades, and in time he too forgot about the trust that was placed in him. He forgot about Odin's Trust!"

- The words of Ghenravin as noted in the Journals Of Ghenravin, The Wanderer

"What in the name of Odin is going on here?", Hijo Ramurao asked, slowly rising to his feet as the two cloaked figures came forward.

"I am very surprised to see you here as well, master Hijo.", said Joshua Hirahim Heimus, throwing back the hood that had concealed his face.

"Joshua!", was all that the sword master could say in his amazement.

"Yes, indeed! Quite interesting isn't it? We are all gathered here right now and as we speak more bloodthirsty adventurers are catching up to us. Quite interesting is the situation that we are in. Very interesting indeed!", the taller stranger said, staring at Hijo through the hood that still concealed his face.

The sword master glanced at the stranger and then looked back at Joshua, noting the excitement in the acolyte's eyes and the occasional fear that cast a shadow over his face.

"Who are you?", Hijo asked, turning to the stranger, who had yet not removed his hood.

Joshua tried to reply, but the stranger simply motioned for him to be silent. He gazed at the sword master and said,

"There is little that you will find interesting about me. I am a mere wizard and the only reason I am here is because your student, or shall I say ex-student, Joshua invited me."

"Do you have a name or would you prefer to keep it secret as well?", Hijo asked, his sword arm still grasping the hilt of the katana blade.

Wizards were a dangerous folk and Hijo had fought a lot of them in his days as a Crusader. Every wizard had an extremely potent arsenal of spells and any one of them was usually more than enough to take care of the odd irritation. As such, they were quite difficult to kill, but one look at this wizard was more than enough for Hijo Ramurao to realize that he had to be on his guard at all times. His expert eye for minute details had spotted the wizard's twitching left hand early on. It was quite obvious that this wizard was also a student of the School of Sorcery. Twitching hands were a trademark of sorcerers and that usually meant that the sorcerer could cast his spell much faster than normal magic users. Such practitioners of the arcane arts channeled magic energy into their fingers at constant intervals, unlike regular magic users who stored their magic energy in their body and channeled it only when necessary. Sorcerers could cast most spells at least twice as fast as normal wizards and some of them could cast spells five times as fast! The advantage lied in their ability to cast spells fast and that usually meant an opponent had little time to react. Even if he managed to dodge one spell, the second volley would be close behind and would reach him easily before the opponent had any time to react. However, sorcerers also ended up having a distinct disadvantage. Since they kept their magic power in constant movement, and due to the low storing capacity of the hands, sorcerers could hold only half as much magic power as normal wizards! Their spells were powerful, of course, and one or two blasts were sufficient to take care of the odd foe, but prolonged battles tended to reduce their magic power to almost nothing and at such times, any opponent could take advantage.

There were powerful sorcerers, on the other hand, who could train themselves to store a lot of energy, but the wizard in front of Hijo Ramurao was clearly not of that type. His hands twitched repeatedly and Hijo took careful note of it. His eyes followed the slightest movement of every finger. His muscles tightened as he waited for the inevitable blast of magic power that would surge towards him. In the confines of the sewers, there wasn't much room to dodge at all and the possibility of survival was minimal. Maybe, just maybe, he could dodge a single blast, but he would have to take the wizard's head off as well. Dodging another spell was simply out of the question, especially with the narrow room available. Hijo felt his aging bones ache as his body realized the danger that it faced. Hijo thought about switching back to the old ways. Surely, they could give him tremendous advantage against any foe, but he had decided to stay away from them a long time ago. The power of those ways was too much for the sword master to handle and he had no intention of going beserk, especially not with a sorcerer standing right in front of him, ready to cast a spell and fry him to pieces.

"No, master Hijo, I shall not keep my name secret. It is not of much importance anyway. I am known as David J'Ragon Heimus, a simple wizard with simple means and simple intentions!", the wizard replied.

"I see. Well met David J'Ragon Heimus. But I must ask you what you are doing down here with my former student. It is quite strange to find two people wandering in the midst of this terrible stench and peril.", Hijo said, still waiting for that sudden blast of magic.

This time, it was Joshua who replied, "We came here looking for you, master Hijo. I went straight to David's home after I left the dojo and I asked him to help us out. The book I showed you earlier clearly pointed to the sewers of Glast Heim and I half expected to find you down here. You always were the curious type."

Hijo smiled, "I see. And now that we are here, Joshua, what are we to do next?"

The sword master did not mention the Crusader's seal that blocked the entrance to the unexplored levels of the sewers. His instincts were screaming at him, warning him about the wizard David, who accompanied Joshua. Unfortunately, David seemed to know about the seal already.

"Come come, master Hijo, why not open the seal and do some old fashioned exploration, hmm?", said the wizard, pointing towards the Crusader's seal.

"I already tried to open the seal, but I failed.", Hijo lied, hoping the two would give up and leave him alone.

"Tut tut!", David sighed, "Crusaders…and only crusaders may open a Crusader's seal, master Hijo. You and I are well aware of this, as is Joshua who was kind enough to bring me here. Now, why don't you open the seal before uninvited guests catch up to us and the whole situation becomes…how shall we put it…slightly unpleasant?"

Hijo clasped his sword hilt tightly and prepared to swing it. His instincts about the wizard had been right after all.

"David, how did you know about the Crusader's seal?", asked Joshua, slightly puzzled at the way matters were proceeding.

"I know many things, my friend. The seal yonder is a Crusader's seal and I think all of us know very well that such seals may be opened only by crusaders. It is common knowledge I think.", David said, moving a step backwards.

Joshua relaxed slightly, but Hijo Ramurao was not so easily fooled. The sword master noticed the sudden spark that erupted from David's hand as he moved back and within a fraction of a second, Hijo whipped his sword out and slashed at the wizard's wrist. Unfortunately, David was a lot quicker than he appeared to be and he blocked the blow with a staff that he had kept concealed under his robe.

"Very nicely done, master Hijo. Your reputation is well deserved, in which case you have already understood that I am a sorcerer. I am sure you know that you cannot survive my spells in this environment and you cannot stop me from casting them. The situation is in my favor, don't you think?", David said with a wide grin on his face.

"That is simply a matter of opinion.", Hijo said calmly, "If you do cast your spell and succeed in killing me, then you will have no one to open the seal for you. Did you not say that only a crusader could open the seal? So I believe that the situation is rather evenly balanced."

"Ahh, I believe what we have here is an old fashioned stalemate!", David said, still grinning, "The only problem is…I don't like stalemates!"

Hijo Ramurao dodged hard to the right, hammering himself against the side wall of the sewer, as a bolt of lightning erupted from the wizard's hand and struck against a metal grating, blasting a pipe in two pieces in the process. Joshua leapt out of the way as a piece of metal flew past him. His leap landed him in a puddle of water and did no good for his temper.

"DAVID! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ODIN ARE YOU DOING?", Joshua asked, struggling to his feet.

"I am simply doing what should have been done many years ago, Joshua. The power sealed inside these sewers will allow me to improve my powers tenfold. The Jewel of the Damned will give me the power to be the strongest of all wizards. My sorcery will no longer limit my power and with the Jewel in my possession, I shall be able to defeat all the wizards in the land!", David said as sparks began to erupt from his hands.

"Jewel of the Damned? Have you lost your mind David?", Joshua asked, bewildered by the wizard's sudden declaration of his intentions.

"Yes, Joshua, did your former master not tell you? The Jewel was entrusted to him to be kept safely out of human hands. Is this not true, sword master Hijo Ramurao?", David hissed as another bolt of lightning sprang forth.

Hijo leapt as high as he could, grasping a metal pipe and executing a perfect somersault as the bolt struck the floor, precisely where he had been standing, and shattered the tiles around it. Landing on his feet, Hijo brandished his katana blade, thinking over the wizard's words. Memories flashed in his mind in bits and pieces and he struggled to put them all together. Somehow, David's words rang true, but Hijo could not remember anything of the sort. He could not remember a jewel or anyone entrusting him with anything.

"Have I forgotten something about my past?", Hijo thought as he dodged another lightning bolt, "What is this wizard talking about?"

"So you will not speak, hmm?", David said, juggling a lightning ball, "Very well, I will have to open the seal with your blood then! I never wanted to kill you, but what can I do? Such uncooperative people in the world these days!"

Bolts of lightning sprang forth and hammered into the sewer walls. Hijo Ramurao dodged left and right. Some of the bolts flew past his head and others came close to hitting him. But not all of them missed. The sword master's head struck against the sewer wall and his body collapsed in a heap as a lightning bolt connected with his body. The electric surge sent a violent shock down his spine and Hijo Ramurao shivered as he lay on the floor, still suffering the after effects of the bolt. His hands and feet felt numb and he couldn't move an inch. His body shivered as a few sparks flew around due to the static power of the lightning bolt.

"I did not want to kill you, Hijo Ramurao, but you leave me no choice. I believe a crusader's blood is all that is needed to open the seal. Well, your blood will have to do! Now…FEEL MY WRATH! IMPERIA MORTIS SARDOR…I SUMMON THE POWERS OF THE SKY…FEEL MY WRATH…JUPITER THUNDER!", David J'Ragon Heimus called out as a ball of lightning formed above his head. Lightning currents spewed forth from the ball and covered the wizard's body, forming a sort of force field all around him!

Joshua, seeing David calling forth his powerful death spell, rushed towards him in a surge of anger, "You traitor! I curse the day I called you my friend. I will not allow you to kill my master!"

"Fool. Perish along with your master, if that is your wish!", David hissed as a single lightning current dislodged itself from the force field and hammered into Joshua.

The current surge sent the acolyte flying into the air and his head struck the ceiling of the sewers. His body recoiled under the impact and landed on a broken pipe, instantly impaling him through the chest! Hijo Ramurao watched the blood spew forth from his former student's mouth and he tried his best to move. But the shock from the earlier lightning bolt held him firmly in place and his muscles refused to budge. His sword arm still held the katana blade, but all Hijo Ramurao could do was twitch his wrist and that didn't help him at all. He struggled to speak, but his mouth would not move. His body refused to dance to his will and for Hijo, the fastest sword master in the kingdom of Rune Midgard, that realization struck him harder than any lightning bolt ever had. He felt like his legs and arms had been cut off and as he gazed at the ball of lightning and the wizard that wielded it, the sword master sensed the jaws of death closing around him.

"And so…the life of the great Hijo Ramurao shall be extinguished by my hands and soon, I shall be the most powerful wizard in the entire kingdom!", David shouted in glee.

"Like my master said before, that is a matter of opinion!", a voice said, "GRYPHON GROUND WAVE!"

David J'Ragon Heimus slowly turned his head and gazed at the wall of water that was suddenly surging towards him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight and the wizard failed to see sword master Hijo Ramurao smile as the wall of water came crashing down on his head!


	9. Chapter VIII

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter VIII**

"To trust someone is equivalent to giving a part of oneself to the person that one trusts. Trust is one of the most important aspects of human life and without trust and cooperation, human society would never progress and human beings would never evolve. But when the trust between two people is broken, then the bond of trust is also broken and in accordance with the rules of nature, the bond must be rebuilt again. A new trustee must be found!"

- The words of Alistar. M. Heimus, Professor, Glast Heim Central Church

Cursing his luck, the stalker made his way down the steps leading to the final explored level of the Glast Heim sewers. He missed the comfortable interiors of the Herald's palace. It was not the first time he had been sent out on missions. Tanjar Mordavir, Rodhan Impellar of the Herald Of Flames, usually ended up sending him out to investigate matters after a fit of rage, like he had done in this instance. The stalker cursed again as his foot sank knee deep into a puddle of slime. He had to force his way out of the puddle as the slime tended to cling to the feet and add to the weight borne by adventurers. It also gave off a feeling of being heavily burdened and was known to exhaust many an adventurer within minutes of contact. The stalker, on the other hand, had been trained by the Herald of Flames and he knew how to tolerate the sewer's slime. He quickly leapt out of the puddle and landed on a dry patch of ground. With his progress into the sewers the lighting had degraded, limiting his vision severely. Unfortunately, he couldn't light a torch since the flames would obviously give away his position…that is, if the sound of striking flint didn't warn the ones he followed first!

There was little he could do to help himself except continue and hope for the best. That, of course, was not something assassins and stalkers did too well. Their purpose was to fulfill planned operations to the letter, maintaining absolute secrecy and discretion in the process. Unfortunately, following Hijo Ramurao into the unknowns was not part of any elaborate plan or operation. As such, Tanjar had sent the stalker off on his own, to fend for himself while following orders. The Herald minion fingered the twin daggers attached to his belt and made sure the spare was neatly tucked away in his left boot. One never knew when the extra dagger would come in handy! The sounds of fighting had echoed throughout the sewers as the stalker descended the steps. More than once, he thought he had heard screaming, but his keen mind told him that was the sound of magic spells being cast in haste. Obviously, there was a wizard down there and that too, a wizard who was an expert in the sorcerer's arts.

"I must be careful now. The slightest mistake could give away my position! It is best not to be seen at all!", the stalker thought and stood with his back flat against the wall.

Suddenly, his entire body began to change as it became one with its surroundings. His clothes and skin color changed, like a chameleon, to match the background of the sewers and thus, the stalker cloaked to perfection! Another series of twists and intense concentration of the mind allowed him to move, but the stalker knew perfectly well that his movement speed had been slowed to a great extent. His cloak could not be detected by any living thing, but there were always loop holes to everything. That was one of the main features of the human race, the stalker knew well. They always found ways to do the impossible and those who achieved the impossible were often regarded as heroes. They were regarded as great warriors who descended from the Heavens to solve the problems of mankind. Although a lot of those beliefs were merely part of children's stories, the stalker still found himself admiring the tenacity of the human society. Those who dared to confront their problems rarely gave up and even in the face of extreme danger and death, they found ways to overcome their difficulties and conquer their foes!

"Thus the human race perseveres…", the stalker thought, "…and I now face one of its greatest warriors!"

The thought of Hijo Ramurao and the Crusaders of God sent chills down the stalker's spine. Of course, the Crusaders of God were not connected to Hijo in these modern days, but there was always the possibility. The stalker had heard those stories of the Grand Pecos and the crusaders that rode them. Each crusader had to tame his own Grand Peco and then train it to support him in battle. If he could not do that, then he could never pass the test to become a crusader. The Crusaders of God had even stricter induction tests and only the best ever got into that Order. Its missions were always the hardest and the risk of death was always the highest. They were given tasks, which were impossible to accomplish, and like true human beings they would overcome the impossible to reach their goal. They had destroyed many members of the Herald Of Flames and the stalker remembered the stories, which had been told to him as a child. No one had defeated the Crusaders Of God and despite the propaganda that the Rodhan Impellar advocated to his subjects, the stalker knew in his heart that it would take a lot more than super warriors to defeat the Order of God. And to make matters worse, he was up against one of their former members and as the stalker thought of that, he heard a loud roaring sound up ahead!

Curiosity overcoming the fear of death in his soul, he ran forward with both hands grasping the hilts of his daggers. Many a time his cloak almost disappeared due to the forced pace of his movements and he was compelled to stop and correct his mistakes. Thus, he was rather late in reaching the spot where Hijo Ramurao and the wizard, David J'Ragon Heimus, were engaged in mortal combat. He did, however, reach the spot just in time to see a massive wave of water descending upon the wizard's head! Judging by the electric currents surrounding the wizard's body and the ball of lightning above his head, the stalker knew what was about to happen next. Whoever initiated that move had to have a first rate brain for he had judged the elemental opposites, and their consequent effects on the wizard, to perfection! The stalker recalled the various elemental forces of magic. The power of fire, controlled by the fire spirit Efirital, could be countered only by the power of water, commanded by the water spirit Rundine. Rundine's power could be countered by the power of wind, which was monopolized by the wind spirit, Lafaerial. Golemar, the spirit of Earth, could order the power of earth to counter Lafaerial and Golemar, in turn, could be defeated by Efirital. Thus, the four elemental powers countered each other and maintained the balance of the elemental plane of the universe. The elemental plane was, like a human city, a residence of sorts to the various elements. Wielders of the arcane arts could summon elementals and their powers from the elemental plane, as could other people who possessed credible potential to control magic.

Each elemental could be wielded in many ways and throughout the history of the kingdom of Rune Midgard, various spells had been crafted, mastered and forgotten, by the many wizards and sorcerers that roamed the realm. Some people thought that the spells of today were the most powerful versions of magic, while others contended that the deadliest of spells were sealed away and forgotten to prevent the destruction of human civilization. Either way, the stalker knew, the elementals would decide the outcome of this clash of spell and technique. The wizard had not reacted in time and his Jupiter Thunder had clearly originated from Lafaerial. It could easily counter the wall of water that was coming down on the wizard, but the magic caster had obviously failed to realize a very important point.

"He will, of course, become aware of his folly in exactly… two seconds!", the stalker muttered under his breath as the wall of water crashed into the wizard with full force!

The rules of the elemental plane came into force as two opposite elements clashed. Lafaerial's magic was, of course, much stronger than that of Rundine and a majority of the water instantly dissipated as it struck the field of lightning surrounding David. Unfortunately for the wizard, the swordsman had judged perfectly. The remaining water splashed all over the wizard, drenching him from head to toe! As ordained by the Gods of Midgard, the rules of the elemental plane came into play once more, but this time the tables had been turned on David J'Ragon Heimus. Rundine had left her mark on the wizard through the water on his garments and Lafaerial turned her wrath on her current master. Jupiter Thunder… the very spell that David had intended to use on Hijo Ramurao… turned on its master, attempting to destroy every single particle of water on his body! The stalker was forced to momentarily cover his eyes as David's body burst into flames. Puffs of smoke rose into the air and the stench of dry, rotting skin quickly spread throughout the sewers. The stalker managed to force his eyes open to see the remains of a once powerful wizard. The portion of his body, above the torso, had been entirely melted by Lafaerial's fury and the portion that remained was a disgusting sight.

Suppressing the need to vomit all over the place, the stalker moved forward… slowly… very slowly indeed! Sewer rats had already begun to gather around the corpse, or whatever remained of it. They would take away the bits and pieces of rotten flesh. For them, it was a rare chance to find a decent meal. Their arrival, however, made the entire scene all the more gross for the eyes to behold. The stalker had been witness to many acts of violence in his lifetime. The Herald Of Flames regularly conducted sacrifices of all sorts and the stalker himself had shared parts of the 'sacrifice' with his fellow comrades. However, the sight of two elements clashing and destroying… nay… obliterating a wizard was too much for the Herald minion to absorb! Still dealing with the ringing in his head and the heaviness in his stomach, the stalker stumbled forward. Struggling to keep the horrendous scene in focus, the Herald minion barely noticed a figure rising to its feet. His brain took a fleeting note of it, simply regarding it as some sewer monster running away from the scene. The same brain also disregarded the shiny, thin, metallic blade that suddenly appeared in the figure's hand.

"Blades don't appear out of thin air.", the stalker thought, "I must be imagining things. Yes, that is it! I am imagining it all. This horrible sight is also a mere dream. I will be awake soon."

Thus the Herald minion thought as the graphic nature of the scene took its toll on him. He was still praying for his dream to end when that shiny, thin, metallic blade sliced off his head with one single, neat stroke!

"MASTER, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?", asked a concerned Riyu Kikame as Hijo Ramurao sheathed his katana blade.

"We must leave this place before the atmosphere affects us…", Hijo said, pointing to the headless stalker's corpse, "…like him."

Riyu nodded, sheathing his own blade and turning his attention towards the Crusader seal, "Master, do you know how to get rid of that thing?""

"You know about the seal as well?", asked Hijo, quite surprised as he had never told Riyu anything about the Crusaders or his past.

"Not really.", Riyu said, finding himself in a slightly awkward situation, "I overheard that wizard saying something about it and then referring to you. I didn't understand any of it, but…"

"You thought I would be able to open it.", Hijo finished for him with a smile, "Correct?"

Riyu nodded quickly, "Yes, Master."

"As a matter of fact…", Hijo sighed, "…I can open it. That is, of course, providing I still remember how to do it correctly."

Riyu cocked his head, "There is an incorrect way to do it as well?"

Hijo smiled wickedly, "Seals are made to keep people away, Riyu, from something that needs protection. I believe the purpose of using a seal would be destroyed if the seal itself could be tampered with. Hence, most seals, especially of this kind, have safeguards to keep the curious and the wicked folk away."

Riyu nodded slowly, carefully taking into account that wicked smile. His master had his own kind of mood swings. In his teaching mood, he would never joke and would rarely smile. Making him angry, at that time, would be extremely hazardous to any student's health! His fighting mood, however, was even worse. During such times, he adored dramatics and the tension of combat. From the smile on the sword master's face, Riyu knew that something terrible would happen if his master did not open the seal using the proper methods. His curiosity slowly overcame his fear as he watched his master finger the seal carefully.

"Master, may I ask you something?", he said softly.

Hijo had been anticipating the question, "Go ahead."

"What exactly happens if you…umm…well…", Riyu stumbled, wondering how he could pose the question without offending his master.

Hijo Ramurao, however, finished it for him, "If I do not remember how to open the seal and end up doing something very wrong, you mean?"

Riyu nodded quickly, glancing left and right for some deep dark corner to hide in.

Hijo, however, laughed and replied, "If I don't remember, Riyu, this entire level of the sewers will be completely destroyed. Other than that, nothing else."

Riyu's jaw almost dropped, but he controlled himself quickly. His master had always told him to control his facial expressions and Riyu quickly made himself appear calm and contented. On the inside, however, he was reciting every prayer and devotional song he knew, hoping that his master would open the seal correctly! Fortunately, Hijo Ramurao's memory was a whole lot better than he made it out to be and Riyu watched as the seal split in half in a blaze of light! He was slightly dazed, but Riyu was still able to make out the gap that was opening in the wall. Slowly, it grew wider and wider and the sword master and his student watched as the unexplored levels of the Glast Heim sewers were thrown open to them!

Riyu rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure it was not a dream, "Master, what is this?"

Hijo replied, a bit awed himself, "This is the entrance to the sealed levels of the sewers. A long time ago, these levels were sealed off to prevent people from accessing them. Joshua brought this to light and we were talking about it at the dojo. It was he to told me about some plot that is being hatched by the Herald Of Flames and their minions who are pulling the strings in the Glast Heim Churches. Unfortunately, Joshua did not live to see this, as you already know."

Riyu whispered, "May the Lord keep his soul. He must be happy now master because you are uncovering this plot as we speak. He must have wanted you to stop these people from controlling the Church."

Hijo chuckled, "Well said, Riyu. Unfortunately, this scheme of the Herald has nothing at all to do with the Church in particular. It is true they have issues with the Church and the Crusaders of God, but I assure you that their plans are deeper than we can imagine. The Herald has access to a great deal of resources and I doubt their power hungry leaders will settle for small fry like the Glast Heim Church."

Riyu nodded, "So what you are saying is that the Church is simply a step on their road to something much bigger."

Hijo replied, "Yes. In a manner of speaking, we are simply a small thread in their web. A thread I am sure they are keen on getting rid of. Unfortunately, they cannot cut us out yet. There is much to be learnt here, Riyu, for these sealed levels of the sewers hold something of great evil. Something that the Crusaders of God brought here a long time ago."

Riyu was slightly puzzled, "Since you were a Crusader once, did you have anything to do with it?"

Hijo smiled, "It is a rather long story Riyu. A very long story!"

Riyu was overcome with curiosity, "I would like to hear it, master. Your adventures are always an inspiration to everyone."

Hijo replied with a grave face, "Inspiration, Riyu? I failed in my task, my student. I failed because I forgot the trust that had been placed in me. I remember it now, at least as much as I have been allowed to remember. Gods help us all, I have blundered so!"

Riyu watched, completely stunned, as a tear flowed down his master's cheeks. Hijo Ramurao glanced at him through the corner of his eyes and began walking through the unsealed entrance. Riyu wanted to stop him. He wanted to question him. What had his master done to harm them all? What had he forgotten? What was this trust that had been placed in him? Riyu could not understand. But he held his peace. His master would reveal everything in time. For now, all that Riyu could do was follow in his master's foot steps and that…that was one thing that Riyu Kikame was proud to do!


	10. Chapter IX

**First Tale : Odin's Trust**

**Chapter IX**

"Thus, two souls wandered into the depths of the dark whose shadows concealed how many secrets, we knew not. The warriors of the past, who had sealed the Jewel away from the reaches of common man, had left many a trap for those who were foolish enough to seek out the treasure. Alas, we call it treasure, but the Jewel is damned for eternity and from its damnation, it curses those who dare to wield its power. To the Jewel of the Damned, it matters not who the wielder is, whether of pure heart or demon spawned. It will devour the souls of both darkness and the light and in the shadows that arise in its wake will open the gates to the nether world."

- The words of Ghenravin as noted in the Journals Of Ghenravin, The Wanderer

The echoes of their footsteps rang through the air as Riyu Kikame and Hijo Ramurao walked through the unknown levels of the Glast Heim sewers. Riyu followed his master silently, content to walk behind him, allowing Hijo to deal with any problems that might arise in this place of shadows. There was little light, truth be told, to illuminate their surroundings. If that was not bad enough, the lighting in these unknown levels was deteriorating rapidly. Riyu strained his eyes to stay focused, but he was quite sure that his master was not having as much trouble as he was. Hijo seemed to know the entire place like the back of his hand and was walking with a slightly quickened pace. Every now and then, he would mutter things that Riyu could not understand and at other times, he would talk about his past, but always in bits and pieces.

"It is as if he cannot remember his own past. What is wrong with him? Why are we walking through these sewers in the first place? What in the name of Odin is the Jewel of the Damned?", these were only some of the questions that haunted Riyu time and time again.

There were too many things happening that Riyu did not understand, but his master obviously did not feel the need to enlighten him. Otherwise, he would have already done so. However, Riyu felt he needed to know. There was danger involved, obviously. They were being pursued by some sort of cult called the Herald of Flames and his master knew a lot about them too. He just was not sharing a lot of information at this point. Every time Riyu tried to ask a question, Hijo would simply answer back,

"There is no time, Riyu. We must hurry. There are many matters to be sorted out and hundreds of thousands of lives to be saved. Time is of the essence."

His answers and grown shorter and shorter as they progressed and somehow, Riyu felt his master changing. He did not know how and why, but there were slight changes in his personality and he was definitely acting strange. The calm attitude of old was disappearing and there was some sort of wild streak showing up in him. Riyu had not experienced any fear for his life till now, but something about these sewers sent a chill down his spine. All was not right in these slimy depths and he found himself checking his katana blade again and again. As far as Riyu Kikame was concerned, his master was his first assurance of safety and victory. Once that assurance was compromised, it came down to him and his sword. Dealing with the wizard, David, had done a great deal to boost Riyu's confidence, but he knew that he had taken the wizard by surprise. An actual, up front battle would allow little room for surprise and the enemy would be able to react to his moves. Riyu doubted his speed matched even a fraction of his master's, but he had enough confidence to hold his own.

"Just enough to survive, at least.", he told himself as they turned around another corner.

The maze seemed to be never ending and Riyu felt the first signs of fatigue kick in. He had lost track of time and walking around in the sewers had done no good to his physical and mental state. Hijo, however, seemed relatively unaffected. In fact, nothing seemed to affect him now. He had made up his mind about something and that resolve seemed to give him infinite strength.

"Surely, there is a strange tale behind all that is happening here. I hope master decides to tell me sometime soon. Speaking of the master, what is he doing?", Riyu thought as Hijo abruptly stopped before making a turn.

"I believe we have reached the end of our little trek, Riyu.", Hijo said, still staring into the darkness ahead.

Riyu stared into the dark void ahead, unable to recognize anything. The sense of fatigue was getting worse by the minute,

"Pray tell, master, what shall we find at this end?"

Hijo chuckled for the first time since they had descended into the unexplored levels of the sewers,

"I have kept many things from you, have I not Riyu? Well, I believe you should know now the danger that lies before you. There are, as you might have noticed, no monsters in these depths. No dark creatures prowling around waiting to take a bite out of your flesh without a moment's notice. There is no danger here, or so it seems to those with no knowledge of what the darkness really holds."

Riyu was slightly confused, but curiosity replaced confusion, "Something awaits us inside?"

Hijo replied, "Something? Yes, Riyu, you could say that something waits for us. That something is what the sorcerer referred to as the Jewel of the Damned. I remember much of what happened in that time now. The memories returned to me in pieces and I was busy sorting them out. I apologize if I seemed distant, my student. It was not right for me to keep you in the dark for so long, while I tended to my own personal problems."

Riyu remained silent while his master continued, "In times of old, Riyu, the Crusaders of God fought with the Herald of Flames, as you might have learnt during our little adventure so far. However, apart from this conflict, there were many other matters, which required our attention. While catering to the wishes of the Order on one such occasion, I happened to wander into the western lands outside Glast Heim."

"Glast Heim? Western lands? But the ocean forms the border of Glast Heim in the west.", Riyu thought and Hijo Ramurao had already anticipated those very thoughts.

"Not always, my student.", Hijo said, "Not always was Glast Heim's west blocked by the ocean. There was a time when the plains of Glast Heim covered the west and I can state for a fact, from personal experience, that it was a wonderful and glorious land. Unfortunately, it was on this land that the forces governing the laws of our world decided to clash in a devastating battle. The Gods of our kingdom, headed by Odin Himself, hammered at the minions of the abyss, led by the dark one, whose name we shall not speak."

"You were involved in the conflict, master?", asked Riyu.

"No, thankfully I was spared the brutality of that battle. Besides, I would never have survived a conflict with the demons. After all, to face the Gods, those demons needed considerable strength and believe me when I say this, their strength was extremely considerable! Indeed, I gave them a lot of consideration before I even decided to explore the battlefield, once the battle was over of course! I know little of what exactly happened during the fight itself, but there were many wounded and dead on the battlefield. The Gods, or what I would like to call their avatars or shapes, had taken many casualties. Thor, Freya and other great ones of Asgard lay dead on that field and I walked right into the midst of them. I was ignorant at that time, learning much about the world and its ways, but of religion I knew quite a bit. Yet, I approached with courage in my heart, making sure that I stayed away from the dead piles of demons, that were scattered all over the battlefield. There would be some foul creatures with a hint of life still left in them and it was not my place to try and deal with those vermin."

"Did you speak with the Gods, master?"

"I do not know for sure if I actually did any speaking at all. I remember approaching one of them. He was taller than me, a lot taller, but I couldn't be really sure since like the rest of them, he too was lying flat on the ground. I imagine he rose to speak with me, but I cannot recall the exact details. All I remember was that strange voice telling me that he was Odin, the great leader of the Gods of Asgard. Lord Odin told me that they had fought a great war, called Ragnarok. He said it was a mythical war, a war of legends. I remember little about such a legend of Ragnarok, but I believed Lord Odin at the time and I still do. He said that Ragnarok had brought about the end of the ruling powers of Asgard and of the netherworld. There was little his brethren could do for mankind now and that it was up to the mortal world to decide our fates. I realized little of what he meant then and I doubt I fully understand now. However, once he had had his say, Lord Odin handed me something covered in a thick red cloth. It was about five feet or more in length and the covering was quite thick."

"A sword perhaps, master?"

"Very perceptive, Riyu. Indeed, it was a sword, although I came to know of that little fact at a later time. Lord Odin told me that the Jewel of the Damned, wrapped in that cloth, had to be guarded and kept away from the hands of evil and those, who would seek to bring death and misery unto man. He said the artifact was a sort of key with a long history behind it. The Jewel's very soul was tainted with the blood of a God. Lord Odin did not elaborate on that history, but he did ask me to take the sword and guard it with my life. There were no other crusaders with me at the time and I was alone. The responsibility was entrusted to me and I failed to keep it."

"In what way master?"

"I took the sword back to the Crusaders of God, hoping to gain some advice from those with more experience and knowledge. At least I had enough brains in my head to not mention the artifact directly. I did some basic research and asked the few friends that I had at the time to help me seal the Jewel in the best possible hiding place. The sewers, in my opinion, were rarely visited at the time and the Jewel could be sealed off inside for all eternity. If I had known that this Ragnarok war would unleash thousands of demons into the wild and increase the number of foolish adventurers around, then I would have sealed that sword somewhere else and taken some more effort with the seals too. Alas, I was foolish and my friends and I sealed off the Jewel in this part of the sewer."

"And now, this Herald is looking for it and so are we, except that we are already near it."

"That is right, Riyu. Ahead lies the unholy place, tainted by the influence of the sword itself. I fear its darkness is so profound and evil that no monster dares set foot in this place. Be glad that the paths to the netherworld were sealed off long ago, since this place would normally be an ideal breeding ground for those, who serve the dark one."

"I see, master. So what are we to do now? We have found this Jewel, this dark sword. What shall we do with it? Surely, we cannot leave it here for the next adventurer who pops in for a look. The seal is undone as it is and this level of the sewers can be accessed by all."

Hijo nodded in agreement, "We must destroy the sword, Riyu! It must be shattered into a thousand pieces and the core of its evil vanquished from the face of this Earth. Unfortunately, the task itself is quite daunting and dangerous. To add to our difficulties, I am not sure how to go about achieving that particular task either."

Despite their problems, Riyu found himself smiling, "I see, master. Well, the best thing to do now would be to secure the sword and then get out of here. This place seems to be draining my energy."

Hijo replied, "Yes, let us delay no more. There is no telling how many minions of the Herald are on our trail by now. Come!"

Riyu nodded and began to follow his master. He had hardly taken a few steps, when he heard a high pitch voice echo through the sewers,

"FLAME DRAGON…ASURA STRIKE!"

It was the last thing Riyu Kikame heard as the world went black around him. His senses seemed to disappear all of a sudden and he felt numb. He felt like there was nothing around him, absolutely nothing.

Darkness descended over him…darkness was all around him…there was darkness everywhere!


	11. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

"There is little evidence left at the site of the massive explosion to tell us what really happened to the city of Glast Heim. We know little of what caused the explosion and this state of ignorance has remained unchanged for many years. I find myself unable to answer many questions about the enemies of Glast Heim and any other factor that might have contributed to the downfall of the city. It has been four years since that event and the monsters continue to plague the kingdom of Rune Midgard. We know little of the army of demons that stormed the city that fateful day, four years ago, and razed it to the ground. Their origin remains a mystery and no survivors were found in the ruins, that was once the jewel of the north. The city of heroes has ceased to exist and the kingdom of Rune Midgard struggles with that loss. Commercial activities have reduced to a great extent and we have lost access to the western seas. I have lost many friends to the monsters in the wilderness and everyday, groups of heroes venture into the wild, trying to make a quick pile of gold. They end up, more often than not, piling up beside one another in a heap of bones, for that is all that the monsters of the wild leave of them! The King has already increased the border patrols outside the various cities throughout the kingdom. But there is civil unrest and people are taking matters into their own hands. Morocc itself has seen a dramatic rise in the activities of thief guilds and there is no question of the assassins that lurk in the shadows everywhere. The recent spate of assassinations, especially the deaths of priests in the Prontera Central Church, has sent the citizens of the kingdom into a state of shock and panic. Repeated assurances by the King to ensure the safety of the public have yielded little in terms of raising public morale.

The fortunate thing, perhaps, might be the increase in the number of stronger adventurers that have been rising up in different parts of the kingdom. Rune Midgard has never before seen such a rise in the number of knights, hunters, monks, blacksmiths and other warriors willing to wage war against the demons that infest the wild. Our warriors grow bolder every day, but their casualties also continue to rise. The mortality rate will be a cause for worry in the years to come, but for now, Rune Midgard must fight. For if we do not fight, we face certain death. The demons know no mercy. They crave the bloodlust and the berserk rage that sends them running madly into the ranks of brave soldiers on the battlefield. Aye, we must fight. We have little choice in this matter. Perhaps, one day, help will come. We know not what the future holds. But we do know that the citizens of Rune Midgard will not loose hope. We are the children of the soil and we will protect our lands and our cities till the very end. To this we swear our very lives and we will face the darkest of all evils, if we must, to ensure the safety and prosperity of our people!

LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE RUNE MIDGARD!"

- The words of Alistar. M. Heimus, Professor, Glast Heim Central Church

_**Fin!**_


End file.
